About

Why this website?

I am a graphic designer, and I created this website because I wanted it to serve as a voice for people who are currently homeless or have recently been housed.

Sometime in 2013, I began a design project to help me better understand homelessness in the United States. My interest in this was driven by curiosity ( I grew up in Ghana, West Africa, where the homeless have far fewer resources than they do in the United States) and from my previous experience working as a volunteer in a meals program for the homeless in Morgantown, West Virginia, where I currently live.

That project culminated in an exhibition for my MFA thesis. But, as helpful as that exhibition was, it seemed rather clinical and detached from the actual demographic that it was seeking to highlight. I needed it to be more personal and more direct. So, I grabbed my camera and recording equipment, and with the help of my assistant, Cori, we went to the streets of Morgantown and interviewed some homeless people.

This website does not exist to solicit funds for homeless people or to list resources or places where you can volunteer. Those are good things, and I hope you will consider doing them. All I ask is that you lend your ears to these people and listen to their stories. You will discover that the reasons for homelessness are very nuanced. Perhaps this will begin a fresh conversation about what I think is a tired social issue.

If you will like to submit a story for consideration, email me and I will be in touch. Or can just tweet to @foh_project.

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