Photovoice
Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA), along with its partners, Delaware Division of Arts, Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, and Friendship House of Wilmington, announced "The Darker Side of Daylight: Homeless in Wilmington," an exhibit for a Photovoice project created by residents of Andrew's Place, a homeless shelter for men over age 55 located at Saints Andrew and Matthew Episcopal Church. Gallery space at 820 N. French Street was generously provided by the State of Delaware. The participants from Andrew's place spent two months taking pictures of subjects that are most pertinent to them. The exhibit focused on three themes: What is a home? People, and Public Spaces.
One of the photographers said, "To me, this picture is really symbolic of my life and what I am seeing around me. Not only do peoples' perceptions about homeless people need to change, but I need to change as well. I have a lot of talent to do nothing with it. We need to realize one another's potential. Some think that we are a threat to society, but in actuality we're just people."
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Delaware State Housing Authority Director Anas Ben Addi stated, "It is important that the homeless are visible and not forgotten. This project is a wonderful medium to bring their voice to the public. Through the photographs, we can see their lives through their eyes. Viewing the exhibit and meeting several of the participants in the project definitely gave me a broader perspective and deeper appreciation of the challenges homeless persons face. This is definitely a very creative, educational, and expressive way to help highlight this issue."
Photovoice is a grassroots approach to creating social and legislative change originally developed in 1994 by Caroline Wang and Mary Ann Burris, who worked to improve the lives of women in the rural Yunnan province in China. Since that time, Photovoice has gained popularity among researchers. The Photovoice methodology has proven to be an effective mechanism for identifying problems unique to a particular marginalized population - in this case homeless men over age 55 - and then communicating these issues to policymakers. Photovoice focuses on a research strategy that enables people to record and reflect their community's strengths and challenges, promote a dialogue about important issues through group discussion and photographs, and engage policymakers who have the ability to affect changes.
For more information about the Photovoice Project, please contact Valerie Miller, Delaware State Housing Authority, 18 The Green, Dover, Delaware 19901, (888) 363-8808, or send an email to Valerie@destatehousing.com.
