June 25, 2017


News and Views


COMMENTS BY JOHNSON AND SANDERS RUN IN LINE WITH THEIR PARTY’S VIEWS, BUT SEN. HELLER IS SHOWING HIMSELF TO BE A MODERATE RATHER THAN A CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN. THAT’S A NICE SURPRISE. WE DON’T HAVE MANY OF THOSE. HE CARES ABOUT THE HUMANS WHO WILL HAVE TO LIVE UNDER THE LAW, AND DOESN’T SEEM TO BE TRYING TO KILL MEDICAID ENTIRELY. EVEN TRUMP SAID THAT THE BILL WAS “MEAN.”

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/gop-sen-johnson-no-way-vote-should-happen-bill-week-n776446
EXCLUSIVE POLITICS JUN 25 2017, 10:32 AM ET
Sens. Johnson, Sanders: No Way Vote Should Happen on Healthcare Bill This Week
by KAILANI KOENIG

WASHINGTON — As as Congress wrangles over implementing a new health care law, Republican and Democratic senators have not agreed on much, but there was one area where two lawmakers on opposite sides of the aisle found common ground on the issue on Sunday.

Both Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who each have expressed serious reservations with the bill for very different reasons, proclaimed during exclusive interviews on Sunday's "Meet The Press" that rushing a vote before the July 4th recess would be unwise.

Johnson: 'I Would Like to Delay' the Senate Healthcare Vote
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Johnson: 'I Would Like to Delay' the Senate Healthcare Vote 0:43

“There's no way we should be voting on this next week. No way,” Johnson told host Chuck Todd. "I have a hard time believing Wisconsin constituents or even myself will have enough time to properly evaluate this, for me to vote for a motion to proceed. So I've been encouraging leadership, the White House, anybody I can talk to for quite some time, let's not rush this process. Let's have the integrity to show the American people what it is, show them the truth."

Republican senators unveiled their version of the health bill on Thursday, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated he wants to see a vote before the end of this week.

Full Sanders Interview: Obamacare 'Has Problems' But Can Be Fixed 7:03

The Senate bill includes big cuts to Medicaid over a period of time, eliminates taxes on the wealthy and insurers, and does not let insurers deny people coverage based on pre-existing conditions. Unlike the House bill, it pegs tax credits to income rather than age.

Johnson is one of four conservative Republican senators — along with Sens. Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and Rand Paul — who released a statement Thursday saying that they are not yet ready to vote for the bill, but that they are “open to negotiation.”

"What I find so disappointing is these bills aren't going to fix the problem," Johnston said Sunday. "They're not addressing the root cause. They're doing the same old Washington thing, throwing more money at the problem."

Republican Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada also said he doesn’t support the bill, but because of its cuts to Medicaid and his worries that it will not lower insurance premiums for people.

Sen. Sanders meanwhile is currently on a tour across multiple states to rally opposition to the bill.

The former presidential candidate doubled down on his claims from last week that “thousands of people will die” if the Senate bill passes, a line that drew ire from the office Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch.

“The brief time when we were *not* accusing those we disagree with of murder was nice while it lasted," Hatch's staff wrote on Twitter on Friday

But Sanders reiterated on Sunday’s “Meet The Press": “If you have cancer and your insurance is taken away from you, there is a likelihood you will die and certainly a likelihood you will become much sicker."

Sanders added: "Senator Johnson is right. There is no way on God’s Earth that this bill should be passed this week. The people of Wisconsin don’t know what’s in it, the people of Vermont don’t know what’s in it. We need a serious discussion."

He did, however, acknowledge that there are problems with the current health care system that need to be addressed.

"My view is, that the Affordable Care Act has problems," he said. "Deductibles are too high. Copayments are too high. We have to address that."

Johnson: 'I Would Like to Delay' the Senate Healthcare Vote
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Johnson: 'I Would Like to Delay' the Senate Healthcare Vote 0:43



THIS NEXT CBS STORY SOUNDS LIKE THE PLOT OF A CHARLES DICKENS STORY – LONG LOST RELATIVES, CONVOLUTED, SAD AND MAYBE IMPLAUSIBLE, BUT IN THIS CASE, TRUE. DICKENS WROTE ABOUT THE HOMELESS AND PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN IMPOVERISHED FOR SUCH A LONG TIME THAT THEY HAD ACCEPTED IT AS THEIR PERMANENT CONDITION, WITH THE RESULT THAT RELATIONSHIPS WERE BROKEN AND THE FEAR OF STARVATION WAS A DAILY REALITY. THE LONDON OF DICKEN’S DAY, THE MID 1800S, WAS FULL OF THE VERY POOR LITERALLY LIVING ON THE STREETS, ALONGSIDE THE VERY RICH IN LIFE BUT WITH NO ACKNOWLEDGED RELATIONSHIP, JUST AS TODAY. I COULD SAY, “WELL, THAT’S LIFE,” BUT I JUST CAN’T TAKE IT THAT LIGHTLY. WE HAVEN’T PROGRESSED TO A HIGHER LEVEL OF BEING IN THOUSANDS OF YEARS, NOR HAVE WE EVEN LEARNED TO SHARE, TAKEN AS A WHOLE. THERE IS A GREAT EMPHASIS ON DEATH AND MISFORTUNE IN CHARLES DICKENS’ STORIES, AND SOMETIMES HIS WRITING STYLE IS TOO OVERLY EMOTIONAL FOR ME, BUT IT WAS AN EFFORT AT DEALING WITH A HUMAN PROBLEM THAT, LIKE TODAY, IS IGNORED IN GENERAL.

WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO DO MUCH AS AN INDIVIDUAL TO ALLEVIATE THE RAMPANT POVERTY IN OUR MODERN CITIES; BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT THE FIRST THING WE NEED TO DO AS THE LUCKIER ONES, IS TO LOOK FOR THE HUMANITY IN EVERY PERSON, WHATEVER HIS OR HER STATE OF HEALTH, LEVEL OF WORLDLY SUCCESS, OR PERSONAL ATTRACTIVENESS. LEARN TO OVERCOME WHATEVER SCORN WE MAY HAVE IN OUR MINDS AGAINST THOSE WHO ARE NEEDY, AND ACTIVELY SUPPORT NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY LEADERS WHO WANT TO HELP THE SITUATION. LIKE DICKENS’ LONDON, OUR CITIES ARE “JUNGLES” OF A SORT, AND “LAW AND ORDER” ALONE WON’T SOLVE THE SITUATION. IT STARTS WITH POVERTY AND ILL HEALTH.

MANY OF US WHO WERE BROUGHT UP WITH RELATIVELY FEW ECONOMIC WORRIES HAVE TENDED TO TAKE THAT STATUS AS OUR JUST DUE, TENDING TO JUDGE HARSHLY THOSE WHOM WE SEE ASLEEP ON A STREET OR BADLY CLOTHED. MAYBE WE JUST PASS THEM BY WITH DISTASTE. OUR FEELING THAT WE CAN’T HELP THEM, WHICH IS ALWAYS SOMEWHAT TRUE, CAN TURN TO DISGUST AT THEIR CONDITION IF WE LET IT. AN UNEXAMINED EMOTIONAL RESPONSE TO THAT IS TO FIND OURSELVES SAYING “OH, THEY’RE JUST” THIS OR THAT – LAZY, STUPID, DRUNK, CRAZY, NO GOOD. LET’S FACE IT, NOT ONE OF US IS “GOOD,” AND EVERY HUMAN IS OUR BROTHER OR SISTER. THE FACT IS THAT WE COULD EASILY BE THE ONE SLEEPING IN A DOORWAY TO KEEP THE WIND OFF. THE IDEA COMMONLY HELD BY CHRISTIANS THAT “EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A PURPOSE,” HAS NEVER SEEMED TRUE TO ME, AND IT CERTAINLY DOESN’T HELP IN CASES LIKE THESE. IGNORING A PROBLEM DOESN’T SOLVE IT. IF THAT IS TO BE OUR STANCE AS A “CHRISTIAN” SOCIETY, WE ARE MISSING THE WHOLE POINT OF OUR RELIGION. IT IS MY EXPERIENCE THAT THINGS JUST “ARE” – SUFFERING IS NOT PUNISHMENT FOR SIN, NOR IS WEALTH A REWARD FOR EXCEPTIONAL VIRTUE, SO IF SOMEONE IS IN DIRE NEED, WE SHOULD BE WILLING, AT THE VERY LEAST, TO TRY TO HELP.

I’VE HEARD SOME RELIGIOUS PEOPLE SAY, “I DON’T BELIEVE IN LUCK.” WELL, I DO. THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HUMAN SITUATIONS IS TOO OBVIOUS TO ME NOT TO SEE FORTUNE, KISMET, AS ONE OF THE GREATEST DIVIDERS BETWEEN PEOPLE. WHAT HURTS ME MOST WHEN I SEE SOMEONE IN THAT SITUATION IS THEIR ESSENTIAL LACK OF CONNECTION WITH OUR HUMAN NEEDS – FRIENDSHIP, PROTECTION, LOVE, COMMUNICATION, FOOD, AND SIMPLE COMFORT SUCH AS WARMTH ON A COLD NIGHT. WHATEVER WE SELF-RIGHTEOUSLY FEEL ABOUT THEIR PARTICULAR LEVEL OF PERSONAL VIRTUE (OR CLEANLINESS), WE STILL AS PEOPLE NEED TO HAVE A DESIRE TO HELP. IF WE DON’T, THAT TELLS MORE ABOUT US THAN IT DOES ABOUT THEM. OUR BEING, AS INDIVIDUALS, WILLING TO LEARN ABOUT THE SITUATION OF HOMELESS PEOPLE WILL MAKE OUR SOCIETY MORE CARING AND SUPPORTIVE, AND IF I CAN SPARE A LITTLE CHANGE, GIVE IT. HERE IN JACKSONVILLE, I DON’T SEE TOO MUCH OF THAT, BUT IN WASHINGTON DC, I DID.

WHAT BOTHERS ME MOST IS THE OVERWHELMING ODDS THAT EXIST IN LIFE. BECAUSE THE ULTIMATE REASONS FOR THE FAILURE TO BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF ONES’ OWN NEEDS ARE COMPLEX AND USUALLY INTRANSIGENT, THE PROBLEM KEEPS GOING MORE OR LESS UNCHANGED ON THE SURFACE; BUT, AS INDIVIDUALS, PEOPLE DO FIND THEIR WAY TO A BETTER PLACE. AS SOON AS ONE INDIVIDUAL GETS INTO A HALFWAY HOUSE, GETS SOME JOB TRAINING AND THEN LANDS A JOB, ANOTHER TWO OR THREE WILL BE KICKED OUT OF THEIR HOMES BECAUSE THEY CAN’T PAY THE RENT ANYMORE, SO THE NEED TO KEEP HELPING IS JUST A BASIC PART OF LIFE. IT’S PART OF WHAT WE SHOULD DO. IF WE’RE “GOOD” PEOPLE, THEN WE NEED TO DO SOME THINGS THAT ARE “GOOD.”

TYPICALLY, WHEN WE SEE HOMELESS PEOPLE ASKING FOR A DOLLAR, WE GIVE AND THEN GO ON OUR WAY DOWN THE STREET. IT’S HELPFUL, BUT THAT ALONE WON’T SOLVE THE PROBLEM. GETTING PEOPLE ON THEIR FEET SO THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO SET OUT ON THEIR OWN AGAIN, REQUIRES MORE THAN A COUPLE OF DOLLARS OR A BED FOR THE NIGHT. THAT’S ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH SOME HOMELESS SHELTERS. THEY OFTEN REQUIRE THE HOMELESS TO GET OUT THE DOOR AND BACK ONTO THE STREETS UNTIL THE END OF THE DAY. THERE ARE REASONS FOR THAT. THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER HOMELESS PEOPLE WHO ALSO NEED A PLACE TO SLEEP, AND NOT ENOUGH PLACES TO PUT THEM. MOST SHELTERS DON’T HAVE MENTAL HEALTH CARE ON SITE, OR ANYTHING ELSE TO HELP WITH THEIR MULTIPLE PROBLEMS, EITHER. THE SALVATION ARMY IS ONE THAT DOES. ALTHOUGH IT IS RELIGIOUS IN ORIENTATION RATHER THAN PSYCHIATRIC, IT DOES ATTEMPT TO WORK WITH THE WHOLE PERSON.

IT SEEMS TO ME THAT MORE PEOPLE THESE DAYS ARE BEING BORN INTO SEVERE POVERTY IN THE INNER CITIES, CAUSING THEM TO BECOME UNABLE TO MAKE A LIFE AS AN INDIVIDUAL IN THE WORLD. UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN A HUMAN BEING “FALLS THROUGH THE CRACKS,” IN LARGE CITIES ESPECIALLY, HE IS LOST UNLESS HE HAS FAMILY TIES. THE DISTANCE BETWEEN CITY GOVERNMENT AND THE INDIVIDUAL SLEEPING IN THE STREET IS ONE OF EMOTIONAL DISCONNECT. BLAMING THE VICTIM IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN THE WORLD OF THE HOMELESS. THE FOLLOWING SEVERAL ARTICLES ARE ABOUT WAYS TO REESTABLISH INTERPERSONAL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE HOMELESS AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE, AND HELP TO RECONSTRUCT THEIR INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT SYSTEMS.

WE HAVE MANY SPLIT FAMILIES DUE TO HOMELESSNESS. WHEN A YOUNG PERSON OR A BATTERED WIFE RUNS AWAY FROM HOME, THE CHANCE THAT THEY WILL END UP IN SUCH A PREDICAMENT IS HIGH. THERE WAS A REALLY GOOD NEWS ARTICLE SOME THREE OR MORE YEARS AGO GIVING SOME DOZEN OR MORE CASES OF UNEXPECTED REUNIONS WITH FAMILY DUE TO A LARGE CITY NEWSPAPER WHICH PUBLISHED PHOTOGRAPHS OF HOMELESS PEOPLE AND ASKED THE HOMELESS PERSON DETAILS ABOUT HIS FAMILY AND PAST. WHEN THE PAPER WAS PRINTED WITH A BRIEF BIO, RELATIVES SAW IT AND PEOPLE WERE REUNITED. THAT ISN’T A TOTAL CURE FOR THE SITUATION, BUT THE SIMPLE LOSS OF CONNECTION TO HUMAN SOCIETY IS ONE OF THE GREATEST CAUSES OF MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL COLLAPSE, OFTEN ENDING IN HOMELESSNESS. I PUT IT THAT WAY, BECAUSE IT’S MORE THAN DEPRESSION. IT’S A TOTAL LOSS OF CONFIDENCE, HOPE AND EVEN CONNECTION WITH THE WORLD. WHATEVER CAUSES PEOPLE DO GET TO SUCH A POINT, THEY WILL REQUIRE HELP TO GET OUT OF IT. THEY AREN’T ON THE STREET BECAUSE THEY ARE “JUST LAZY.” THAT’S NOTHING BUT A SIMPLE-MINDED EXCUSE FOR OUR LACK OF EMPATHY WITH THEM.

IT IS CLEAR TO ME THAT THE TOTAL LACK OF CARING ATTENTION THAT IS PAID TO THE HOMELESS RESULTS IN SOME DAY IN AND DAY OUT TRAGEDIES, THAT IF WE HAD A GOVERNMENT PLAN TO HOUSE THEM, TREAT THEM FOR MENTAL ILLNESS AND SIMPLY NOTIFY THE FAMILY, THERE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE FEWER PEOPLE LIVING ON THE STREET. ONE QUESTION THAT HAUNTS ME IS, “WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?” THEY ARE, AFTER ALL, SOMEBODY. THEY’RE REAL, AND SUFFERING. SEE THE FOLLOWING THREE ARTICLES. THE FIRST IS ABOUT A HOMELESS MAN WHO, LIKE A CHARLES DICKENS CHARACTER, IS REUNITED WITH HIS FAMILY IN AN EXTRAORDINARY WAY.


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/father-buries-wrong-man-after-coroners-mistake/
AP June 24, 2017, 8:19 PM
Father buries wrong man after coroner's mistake

SANTA ANA, Calif. -- Eleven days after laying his son to rest, Frank J. Kerrigan got a call from a friend.

"Your son is alive," he said.

"Bill (Shinker) put my son on the phone," Kerrigan said. "He said 'Hi Dad.' "

Orange County coroner's officials had misidentified the body, the Orange County Register reported Friday.

The mix-up began on May 6 when a man was found dead behind a Verizon store in Fountain Valley.

Kerrigan, 82, of Wildomar, said he called the coroner's office and was told the body was that of his son, Frank M. Kerrigan, 57, who is mentally ill and had been living on the street. When he asked whether he should identify the body, a woman said -- apparently incorrectly -- that identification had been made through fingerprints.

"When somebody tells me my son is dead, when they have fingerprints, I believe them," Kerrigan said. "If he wasn't identified by fingerprints I would been there in heartbeat."

Frank's sister, 56-year-old Carole Meikle of Silverado, went to the spot where he died to leave a photo of him, a candle, flowers and rosary beads. "It was a very difficult situation for me to stand at a pretty disturbing scene. There was blood and dirty blankets," she said.

On May 12, the family held a $20,000 funeral that drew about 50 people from as far away as Las Vegas and Washington state. Frank's brother, John Kerrigan, gave the eulogy. "We thought we were burying our brother," Meikle said. "Someone else had a beautiful send off. It's horrific."

The body was interred at a cemetery in Orange about 150 feet from where Kerrigan's wife is buried.

Earlier, in the funeral home, the grieving Kerrigan had looked at the man in the casket and touched his hair, convinced he was looking at his son for the last time. "I didn't know what my dead son was going to look like," he said.

Then came the May 23 phone call from Shinker. Kerrigan's son was standing on the patio.

It was unclear how coroner's officials misidentified the body.

Doug Easton, an attorney hired by Kerrigan, said coroner's officials apparently weren't able to match the corpse's fingerprints through a law enforcement database and instead identified Kerrigan by using an old driver's license photo.

When the family told authorities he was alive, they tried the fingerprints again and on June 1 learned they matched someone else, Meikle said.

Easton said the coroner's office provided the Kerrigan family with a name of that person, but the identification hasn't been independently confirmed. The attorney said the family plans to sue, alleging authorities didn't properly try to identify the body as Kerrigan's son because he is homeless.

Sheriff's Lt. Lane Lagaret, a spokesman for the coroner's office, declined to comment to the Register because an investigation was underway.

The mistaken death identification led the federal government to stop disability payments for her brother, Meikle said. The family is working to restore them.

Meikle said her brother chose to return to living on the street and doesn't understand how hard the mistake was on his family.

"We lived through our worst fear," she said. "He was dead on the sidewalk. We buried him. Those feelings don't go away."


PORTRAITS OF HOMELESS PEOPLE

http://proof.nationalgeographic.com/2015/11/09/schoeller/
PROOF: November 9, 2015
A Celebrity Portrait Artist Photographs L.A.’s Homeless
Author Jessie Wender

Martin Schoeller is perhaps best known for his celebrity portraiture—beautiful, tight portraits of well-known figures from Paris Hilton to Bill Clinton, images that provide intimate views of familiar faces.

“Like most portrait photographers, I aim to record the instant the subject is not thinking about being photographed, striving to get beyond the practiced facial performance, reaching for something unplanned,” Schoeller told me.

Portrait by Martin Schoeller
Betty Jo Rhodes

Martin: Where do you live?
Betty Jo: I live on the street.
Martin: You are not afraid as a woman alone on the street?
Betty Jo: No. I have God. They have stolen everything—my ID, all my certificates—but they can’t take my soul. Launch Gallery

Portrait by Martin Schoeller
Brian Moody

Martin: “How long have you been living on the street?”
Brian: “About four months.”
Martin: “Where were you before?”
Brian: “In the hospital. They said, ‘Instead of letting you go for your charges of vandalism, we believe you require psychological treatment and evaluation.’ And, before I left, I told [the judge], ‘You need a psychological evaluation and f*** you.’ And they took me out.”
Martin: “What happened next?”
Brian: “They took me to a mental hospital. I stayed there for two years and seven months.” Launch Gallery

In addition to this editorial work, which has been commissioned by magazines like The New Yorker, New York, and National Geographic, Schoeller has also extensively photographed female bodybuilders, identical twins, and, most recently, homeless people in Los Angeles.

“I am interested in the idea of documenting faces of our times, building a catalogue—photographing people from many different backgrounds in the exact same style, revealing glimpses of humanity that are universal,” he says.

Portrait by Martin Schoeller
Jonathan Wielhert

Martin: “How long have you been on the streets?”
Jonathan: “My mom never had a stable living [situation], so I grew up with my mom, bouncing from house to house, state to state, eviction to eviction.”
Martin: “Were you partially homeless with your mom?”
Jonathan: “Yeah, growing up, I was already pretty much raised on the streets, I guess you could say. So for me to be homeless wasn’t all that much of a transition, because I already was adapted to it, I already knew how to survive.” Launch Gallery

Portrait by Martin Schoeller
Cynthia Myers

Martin: “Are you in a program now?”
Cynthia: “Right now, yeah.”
Martin: “So you got your own bed, same bed every night?”
Cynthia: “It’s like day to day, the shelter. But I don’t know, it’s not really … I end up always leaving every time I check in ‘cause shelters are just not really … I tried it, it’s a program, they said work the program to help you in the way you want it to help you, but the shelter is not just for everybody.” Launch Gallery

Friends of Schoeller’s have volunteered at the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition for the past 28 years. It was their dedication that inspired him to photograph the recipients of the program, which serves a nightly meal to the homeless and hungry of Los Angeles.

When jobs take him to L.A., Schoeller stays extra days to photograph. He’s been setting up a portable studio on the corner of Sycamore and Romaine, photographing the faces and recording the stories of the homeless who come to GWHFC for food. He’s been posting the photographs, along with excerpts from his interviews, to his Instagram feed, @martinschoeller.

Portrait by Martin Schoeller
Marcos Hernandez

Marcos: “What’s wrong with me is I had a nervous breakdown … Very awful … The doctor, the only thing they tell me is you get awfully nervous, you cannot go back to being normal again. We don’t have medication for that. We can put you in a mental institution and that’s it and there you’re gonna be.” Launch Gallery

Portrait by Martin Schoeller
Leonard Campbell

Martin: “How long have you been living on the streets?”
Leonard: “Oh, about off and on for six or seven years.”
Martin: “Where did you live before?”
Leonard: “I lived with my auntie.”
Martin: “She kicked you out?”
Leonard: “No, she passed away.”
Martin: “Did you have a job back then, when you lived with your auntie?”
Leonard: “I take psych meds, yeah.”
Martin: “Have you been on psych meds all your life?”
Leonard: “Yes, [since I was] eight years old.”
Martin: “Schizophrenia?”
Leonard: “Yeah, schizophrenia. Bipolar, schizo.”
Martin: “You’re doing good?”
Leonard: “My meds are good.” Launch Gallery

“Homelessness affects every community in the United States. Our government is either overwhelmed or insufficiently committed to addressing this crisis, so our systems fail the people they should assist most,” says Schoeller. “At every level—personal, governmental, philosophical—we are coming up shamefully short, and I’d like to be a part of a radical change in that outlook.”

Portrait by Martin Schoeller
Rebekka Lewis

Martin: “How long have you been together [with your boyfriend]?”
Rebekka: “A little over two years.”
Martin: “What happened to your baby?”
Rebekka: “Um … the state has her. Because [my boyfriend] went to jail. And I have seizures that are stress-related. And the only way for me to keep the stress down was to smoke weed. Um … ‘cause I didn’t want to go into a seizure with a baby again. And, um … so the state took her because she had a little bit of pot in her system.” Launch Gallery

Portrait by Martin Schoeller
Chantay Mackey

Chantay: I like to look nice. Just ’cause you’re homeless, it doesn’t mean you have to look that way. Launch Gallery


Proceeds from all image usage and sales of this work are donated to the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition, and you can also donate to GWHFC here.

Watch an interview with Martin Schoeller on Proof, see more of his work on his website, and follow him on Instagram @martinschoeller.


THERE ARE 20 COMMENTS. ADD YOURS.

Robert Rosen
February 8, 2016

These are incredible. I started a similar project a while back and would like to get back to it. It can be a very depressing day but not as bad as the subjects. Do you get model releases from the people you shoot?

karen campbell
December 4, 2015

This is one of the most intriguing projects that I have seen in a long time. Martin Schoeller has done such a fantastic job at creating a piece that is so breath taking and heart breaking at the same time. I first discovered this on his Instagram account and read every single one of these accounts. I could not stop. It is beautiful how he brings light to all of these brave, genuine people and shows a piece of their souls that no one would ever have the privilege to find out in any other context. We are often so quick to judge those who are less fortunate then us without even knowing a single thing about the situation. In Schoeller’s interviews he is able to get on their level and speak with these individuals is such a raw and understanding format. He asks them of their fears, backgrounds, relationships, and goals. It is very intriguing to see how all of these individuals are no different than any of us, often they were just dealt a bad set of cards. Many of the heartaches that he discusses with them are so tragic and moving. One of the common themes that I kept on seeing however was positivity. These people have absolutely nothing to their name and have encountered situations that we cannot even begin to imagine and yet they have a positive outlook on life and have the perseverance to keep going. So much media these days is negative and judgmental. Our country needs more people in our media industry like Martin Schoeller who are real and down to earth and bring hope and positivity to our nation instead of tearing it down.

Kim Mason
November 22, 2015

The common thread for most of these people is clear mental illness. I’m Australian, living in the US, and it’s quite clear that something has gone terribly wrong with mental health treatment in the US, and that the problem has been building for decades.

Eugene Schertzberg
November 17, 2015

Police and Judges keep us in jails. The only ones that truly help are doing so through shelters, food banks, and community services. Homeless people are not even considered a part of unemployment statistics. Oddly, many shelters are given government money to keep us alive but no one has ever looked at the conditions they are in. Look away everyone. Let the Police brutalize us, Judges hand out convictions, institutes handle the extremes, the addicted suffer and continue in perpetual circles. Thankfully there is a group of people who recognize the problem and are trying to help. They have limited resources and only a few make it to get it. Putting faces and brief questions and answers is a start. Thank you National Geographic.

Prodeepta Das
November 16, 2015

These are powerful portraits. They go beneath the skin to show that the these are people like you and me but have fallen foul of circumstances.

Jenny Wong
November 16, 2015

While waiting for a bus once, I talked to a homeless guy who made the same bus-stand his bed every night. He said he had been hauled up to a shelter, but he would be back in the streets soon after…because he preferred the feeling of not being confined to four walls!

Lisa Crossman
November 16, 2015

I used to feel the same way about sleeping outside, Jenny Wong….Even as a single woman I chose to sleep on the street because shelters can be dangerous and unsafe places to try and get some rest….They are not always the havens they are purported by the media to be….

Connie
November 15, 2015

These are lovely and interesting photos. When I travel I also like to take at least one photo of a homeless person. All people should be seen.

Sherrie Miranda
November 15, 2015

I used to do home visits to clients referred to Child Protective Services. One girl who grew up in the streets was referred because she now had a baby of her own. Her husband was in the military so she was all alone with the baby. She seemed to be doing very well, but I still wonder . . . With her husband gone for months at a time, could there be a trigger (like loneliness) that could set her off & send her back to the streets?
I hope she is doing well & maybe found a way to help other homeless children.

Sherrie Miranda
November 15, 2015

I always wanted to do a project like this: showing the homeless with dignity. When I lived in Santa Monica, I used to see the homeless all the time. I swore that if Bush won a 2nd time, I would show the world what his policies have done. I left LA before I got a chance to do this. Besides I am more of a writer than a photographer now.
Many thanks to Martin Schoeler for taking the time to do this project.
P.S. I saw a similar, bigger than life, project supported by Doctors Without Borders in Rio de Janeiro. They were life size photos on glass with their story also in big letters. It was really powerful!

Sherrie Miranda
November 15, 2015

When I worked at St. Vincent de Paul Homeless Shelter, they said most of us are two weeks away from homelessness. In other words, if we lost our job today, in about 2 weeks, we would be homeless. Of course, if you happen to have money in the bank or family who will take care of you, it might be a longer time.
Our safety net is gone.
P.S. Very many of the homeless are vets.

Ann Guyson
November 15, 2015

It seems the gap between homeless and non-homeless is getting bigger. What is the answer?

Lisa Crossman
November 15, 2015

Thank you for publishing this story….We all need to become more educated on the reasons behind why homeless exists in our society and the way in which it is directly correlated to issues of mental illness and self-medication through substance use….Thank you for helping to reduce the stigma about this crime against humanity that is perpetuated by our governments and our ignorance on a daily basis….

Rhonda Underwood
November 15, 2015

Why instead of feeding, clothing and housing 25,000 + refugees can’t we provide these services to our own “refugees”? Charity begins at home

Dave Cheetham
November 15, 2015

Completely disagree with your comments about us failing the homeless. I worked with mentally ill patients in the Boston area for many years. There are plenty of ways for these folks to get help, but some of them just don’t want it. If you’re schizophrenic and you refuse your meds and become psychotic and think it’s better to live under a bridge, then there is very little the rest of us can do for you. We are not forcing people to take meds. It’s sad, but you cannot say we are failing them. They are individuals with free wills who make choices.

Asf H, vespao
November 14, 2015
hip, hip,,,,,hip,hip,hoorray, I got a warm welcome, in LA. Bonanza.

Kandyce Brothers
November 10, 2015
Touching, poignant and endearing….we all need to be better humans

Aisha Robins
November 10, 2015

Actually, what’s sad is that so many of the homeless are children. Hard to become an adult who escapes life on the street with any sanity.

James Bao
November 10, 2015

It’s sad how many homeless people are mentally ill.



THERE IS AN ARTICLE I SAW IN RESEARCHING THE SUBJECT OF HOMELESSNESS TODAY THAT IS VERY ENCOURAGING. IT’S ABOUT AN ORGANIZATION THAT MAKES VIDEOS OF HOMELESS PEOPLE AND PUBLISHES THEM, CALLED “MIRACLE MESSAGES.” THE GOAL IS TO REESTABLISH RELATIONSHIPS WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY. I SUGGEST YOU READ IT. FOR MORE ON THAT, GO TO Https://Www.Nytimes.Com/2016/11/24/Well/Family/A-Video-Project-Reconnects-Homeless-People-With-Families.Html?Mcubz=0&_R=0. IT’S A GREAT STORY.

THE GATES FOUNDATION IS ALSO INVOLVED IN THE PROBLEM. READ THIS DESCRIPTION OF THEIR ORGANIZATION AND HOW IT WORKS. IT IS BASED IN WASHINGTON STATE.

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/US-Program/Washington-State/Homelessness-and-Family-Stability
What We Do
WASHINGTON STATE
HOMELESSNESS AND FAMILY STABILITY

OUR GOAL: to reduce family homelessness and improve the systems that respond to families experiencing housing crises in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties.

The Challenge

Washington State is a center of innovation and home to some of the most successful businesses in the world, but problems of social inequity and poverty persist. Too many families with children are homeless. In fact, in a count led by schools in Washington State during the 2011-2012 school year—as required by the McKinney-Vento Act—more than 27,000 students were identified as homeless.

Homelessness has a profound impact on children’s health and education, as well as parents’ abilities to find a job and stay employed. Homeless children have twice the rate of emotional and behavioral issues—including anxiety, depression, and withdrawal.

Families can become homeless for many reasons. Today’s still fragile economy means that more families are unemployed, are earning lower wages, or have lost a home to foreclosure. Other factors—such as domestic violence, medical crises, and mental health or addiction—make families vulnerable. Even in the best economic times, affordable housing can be hard to find for families without skilled jobs.

The Opportunity

In 2000, as a first step in addressing family homelessness in Washington State, the foundation launched the Sound Families Initiative, an eight-year, $40 million program aimed at tripling the amount of available transitional housing—and pairing it with support services in the state’s three most populous counties: King, Pierce, and Snohomish. By its close in 2008, the initiative had spurred the creation of more than 1,400 transitional homes for families emerging from homelessness.

A mother and her son inside their home in Arlington.
Family homelessness has persisted, however, and the job is far from done. Meaningful reductions in family homelessness can be achieved only through a systematic, coordinated approach that provides at-risk families with the help they need, when they need it. Until recently, families who became homeless in Washington State had to contact multiple agencies for different kinds of assistance. Many languished on waiting lists for months. Those who obtained temporary housing often had to wait more than a year to get into a permanent home.

All of this is slowly beginning to change. In 2009, partners in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties boldly declared their commitment to dramatically reduce family homelessness. They joined with the private sector, nonprofits, and Washington State to sign a Memorandum of Understanding pledging to redouble efforts to reduce family homelessness over the next decade. With Building Changes—a nonprofit organization with more than 20 years of experience in homelessness—poised to lead the work, the time had come for a comprehensive response to homelessness.

Our Strategy

To cut key indicators of family homelessness in the Puget Sound region in half by 2020, we believe we must change the way that systems work to address the issue. The foundation is investing in a new approach, based on promising practices from around the nation and lessons we have learned from our work locally. We are working with Building Changes and the governments of King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties to more efficiently deploy existing funding and services from a broad range of sources.

By 2020, we will work with these partners to reduce by half: the number of families that experience an episode of homelessness; the length of time families remain homeless; and the number of families returning to homelessness.

In seeking to achieve these specific outcomes, our work seeks to influence a number of other indicators of family and child well-being that affect families in crisis.

To bring about systemic improvements, we identified five principles that have helped successfully reduce family homelessness in other U.S. communities. These principles guide our investments and the work of our community partners:

Prevention. We can help keep families in their homes and prevent them from becoming homeless with services such as landlord mediation, help with overdue rent and utility bills, and emergency food, clothing, childcare, and transportation assistance.

Coordinated entry. Having one simple way to access support services—or one place to go for assistance— helps families get the help they need as quickly as possible and reduces waste and redundancies in the system.

Rapid housing placement. We work to reduce the time families stay in emergency shelters with quick placements into permanent housing, often with rent subsidies tailored to each family’s specific situation.

Tailored programs. Flexible, coordinated support services that are tailored to each family’s specific needs are essential to helping them rebuild and maintain stability and self-sufficiency.

Economic opportunity. Housing stability depends on good-paying jobs and stable, long-term employment. By linking services with income assistance, education, and employment programs, we can help people find jobs and remain in their homes.

By applying these principles, we believe we can make the best use of a broad array of existing resources, promoting both financial efficiencies while maximizing the most effective use of housing and services.



https://www.usnews.com/opinion/economic-intelligence/articles/2016-02-11/new-york-should-fight-homelessness-with-support-services-not-just-housing
Housing the Homeless Isn't a Cure-All
To reduce homelessness, New York should focus not on increasing beds but on support for mental health and overcoming addiction.
By Kevin Corinth, Contributor | Feb. 11, 2016, at 9:00 a.m.

Photograph -- We need more than a temporary fix. MARY ALTAFFER/AP PHOTO

In his state of the state address, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled a $20 billion plan that will help house the state's homeless population. He joins New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was first to the punch with a plan to invest $2.6 billion for an unprecedented 15,000 new units of supportive housing over the next 15 years.

These plans have come in response to a growing homelessness problem in New York City. Not only are more people seen sleeping on the street, but the number of people in homeless shelters continues to hover around record highs. Until now, Cuomo, a fellow Democrat, had been among the mayor's fiercest critics. While the feud initially stalled action, it is now having the opposite effect as the two leaders race to outdo one another in confronting homelessness.

Altogether, the plans call for a combined 35,000 new units of supportive housing. With this massive investment, will homelessness finally be eradicated in New York?

[READ: A New View of Poverty]

Advocates believe that supportive housing is the only way to truly reduce street homelessness. The program is geared toward homeless individuals with mental illness or substance abuse problems; it offers permanent housing coupled with supportive services, contracted out to nonprofit organizations.

In a research paper, I tested whether cities that expand supportive housing see reduced homeless populations. I found that while more housing slightly reduced homelessness in the short run, the numbers went right back up one year later. The fact is that most people who are homeless today won't be homeless next year. If you permanently house someone who was temporarily homeless, the numbers don't change in the long run. The upshot is that we should be skeptical about claims that the massive investment in supportive housing will have a large, sustained effect on New York's homeless population.

Of course, reducing homelessness isn't the only reason to invest in supportive housing. If it transforms people's lives, the money will be well spent. Unfortunately, research has not demonstrated success on major outcomes. Canada recently completed the largest randomized study ever testing whether supportive housing reduced addiction and mental health problems. It didn't. Previous studies in the United States have found the same result. For New York, simply investing in more supportive housing isn't the answer.

Effective solutions for the homeless require a new mindset. It's easy to view the homeless simply as a problem to get rid of. And promising billions of dollars in an attempt to reduce homelessness allows the mayor and governor to say that they "did something." But what's really needed is a focus on helping people overcome the problems that made them homeless so that they can move on with their lives.

That means more investment in the quality of supportive housing. If supportive housing programs do a better job of helping people overcome addiction and mental health problems, beds can more quickly be turned over to help needy people in the future. Currently, only 10 percent of supportive-housing beds turn over each year. Service providers should be rewarded for helping people move in with family or into housing of their own. They should also be held more accountable for helping people overcome addiction and mental health problems. More money may be required to get the highest quality providers to provide truly transformative services. But higher quality is a better investment than higher quantity.

[READ: Break the Prison to Poverty Pipeline]

At the same time, permanent supportive housing should be reserved for people who need the most support. For those with less severe issues, shorter-term transitional programs can provide the intensive, time-limited support needed to help people become self-sufficient. For others, short-term rental subsidies or mainstream services will be enough.

Yet rather than focusing on higher quality services for people most in need, the mayor's plan calls for expansion of supportive housing for a widening group of people – including some who are not actually homeless and others who may not need long-term support to stay housed. Mayor de Blasio needs to realize that paying service providers more money for people who don't need their services means less quality care for those who need it most.

De Blasio and Cuomo should be commended for finally taking action to confront homelessness in New York. But simply spending more money to get people off the street is not enough. A greater focus on quality and targeting assistance to those who most need it is necessary. Rather than lose a fight against homelessness, the mayor and governor should work together to win a fight for the homeless people who need the most help.


Tags: New York, New York City, Andrew Cuomo, addiction, mental health, economy, poverty, housing, homelessness

Kevin Corinth CONTRIBUTOR
Kevin Corinth is a research fellow in economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.