This Inspiring Photography Project of Homeless People Dressed Up As Their Dream Job Will Blow Your Mind
Hidden potential? That's up to you to decide.
According to current research, on any given night in the last year, there were over half a million people who experienced homelessness in the United States. A person being homeless is defined by the majority of federal agencies as for when a person is "sleeping outside, in a place not meant for human habitation such as a car or abandoned building, or in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program." The statistics are startling, to say the least. While the vast majority of homeless people were single adults, nearly 200,000 of the half-million statistic were families including children, over 77,000 were disabled persons, and approximately 40,000 were veterans.
Statistics aside it's safe to say that outside of valuable, life-saving organizations the average person has minimal interactions with the homeless people in their communities and the loneliness that just pours from that thought is heavy. Recently, a photographer has decided to try and bridge gaps and break down walls, giving life and personality to society's overlooked.
Horia Manolache is putting out a book called "The Prince and the Pauper," in which he has taken side by side photos of homeless people in his community of San Fransisco. The side by side photos displays the same person in two different versions of themselves. On one side, we see these people as they live on the streets and on the other side they are dressed up nicely as if they were living out their deepest dreams.
As Horia went through this project he did everything he could to help the people he worked with. He provided them with food, money, places to sleep, and even clothing. Speaking of his project, he said:
My project is about the dreams of the people who have forgotten to dream or couldn’t dream.
They reached a moment in their life when they don’t have food, water, they don’t have a place to wash themselves, the bank took their house, their mind is unsettled from war horrors or they are wanted by police for an unpaid bill.
Horia is hoping that this book will help raise both money and awareness, and more than anything help change the very way in which homeless people are seen:
My book will be about them and the moment when they had the pace to dream and to speak with somebody about their problems without fearing anything. You will see beautiful people with beautiful minds.
1. Max
A veteran of both the Vietnam and Gulf wars, Max served in the US Army for a whopping 43 years but when he discharged he "gave up." He now lives on the streets and struggles severely with alcoholism. Because of health problems he is barely able to walk anymore and he regrets losing his relationship with his daughter.
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2. McKayas
McKayas has lived all over the world and is "very proud" that his parents were apart of the 1960's hippie movement.
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3. Mike
Hoira says that Mike was the first person to participate in his project. Mike became homeless when he fled Ohio after being busted for illegally smoking marijuana. According to Hoira, today Mike is rebuilding his life thanks to an organization based out of San Fransisco and he has a place to stay, as well as has found work.
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4. Pops
Pops is a Vietnam War Veteran who was once an engineer. Pops lost his prestigious job when he became addicted to drugs and he spent the next 12 years struggling with his addiction. While he went to rehab for the drugs, today he is an alcoholic.
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5. Tammy
Considered a "star" on Height Street in San Francisco, there isn't anyone that Tammy can't bring a smile to. Tammy says that the thing that bears down the hardest on her heart and soul is that her grandmother and ex husband took her children from her.
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6. Henry
Henry is originally from Mississippi where he experienced childhood trauma being forced to choose between his mother and father. Today he is a recovering drug and alcohol addict selling newspapers for a San Francisco organization that helps the homeless community.
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7. Jennifer
Jennifer came to the US with her husband from Ireland but says that "somewhere along the way" they got divorced. Horia says that she is very shy when she is sober.
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8. Bill
Bill says that he had to flee is home for seemingly unjust reasons but running away homeless was preferred to him as the alternative of going to jail. He says his mother has Alzheimer's and he hopes she gets to see these photos of him.
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9. Hatter
Hatter once owned a company that did events but had to quit when authorities discovered he had hired someone under 18 and fined him $100,000.
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10. Honey
Honey became homeless after fleeing her violent husband. For some time she did live in her vehicle but she says the police took it when it broke down and she found herself having to sleep in parks instead. She taught herself how to play the ukulele and can sing with spoons. In fact, she became known as Honey because of her sweet, singing voice.
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11. Shad
Shad's identity was stolen when his girlfriend stole his wallet. His credit quickly plummeted to the point where he couldn't deal anymore and he says he has never truly reflected on his own dreams. Hoira feels like this photograph is very symbolic of our society.
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Hoira shared a video of his project and it's absolutely a must-watch.
Elana
