'We Aren't Disposable' offers insight on homelessness

Several dozen people got a glimpse through the eyes of the Birmingham homeless community at a free art exhibit called "We Are't Disposable: A Single-Use Camera Project by Birmingham's Homeless Neighbors," where participants, all of whom were homeless, were asked to take photos of what homelessness in the city looked like to them. 

The exhibit opening, on Friday, Nov. 10 — the day before National Homeless Awareness week — was meant to shed light and start conversations about the people who are homeless in the city of Birmingham. From 5:30-7 p.m., people in the community came and went to Paperworkers Local to take a look at the various submissions to photo project. The goal was to show a new perspective of homelessness. 

The exhibit was hosted by the Junior Board of One Roof, a center of coordination for the homeless Continuum of Care system of Central Alabama. One Roof's mission, according to its website, is to empower the community to prevent and end homelessness through advocacy, education and services.

On any given night, according to statistics from the Junior Board of One Roof, 110 young people spend the night in emergency shelters or on the streets. 

Over the course of the night, people wore name tags and got to know each other, talked about ways to help the homeless community in Birmingham and snacked on refreshments. 

As part of the camera project, brief biographies were put up about the participants.

Sherri, 56 years old, agreed to participate in the project because she was hoping to shed light on her experience and maybe produce more resources for individuals in the homeless community. That's why she mainly took pictures of people waiting to receive services like food and water.

She said, "homeless people are people, too."

Another participant, 28-year-old Jordan, described himself as a struggling musician who, up until recently, was employed at an animal day care and had his own car and place to live. After a few car accidents, maintaining insurance and bills became too much to handle, and he became homeless. He does not want to move back home, even though it is nearby, because it would burden his mother. Recently, he was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

He took pictures of his daily path through Birmingham and focused on the spots in plain sight where people often sleep.

James, a 48-year-old participant, has lived on the streets of Birmingham for the last 8 years with a physical disability that can make it difficult for him to move and prevent him from having a job for more than a few months. Since he was denied social security disability insurance benefits, James said he has given up going to the doctor. 

James chose to photograph camp sites around the city and life in the homeless camps. 

The Junior Board of One Roof is also hosting its own restaurant week, where some of the money raised from eating at certain restaurants will fund the costs associated with providing their homeless clients with state IDs. This way, they can more easily get medical attention, shelter and other benefits. The schedule is as follows:

• Tuesday, Nov. 14 - Rojo Birmingham from 5 p.m. to midnight
• Wednesday, Nov. 15 - Sky Castle from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., then from 5-8 p.m. (Print off ticket here for this event.)
• Thursday, Nov 16 - Shu Shop from 4-10 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 17 - Tropicaleo from 11 a.m. to Saturday, Nov. 18, at 1 a.m.

To learn more about the Junior Board of One Roof, go to oneroofonline.org.