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After talking at length about a business he used to manage before becoming homeless, Rob sits quietly with his eyes closed. Now in his 40’s, Rob has been sleeping rough for 4 years and suffers from alcoholism and depression. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
Rob waits with a female friend for the Social Security office to open. After becoming pregnant while living on the streets, her family have allowed her to return home while she goes through detox and prepares to have her baby. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
Old friends, Rob and ‘Mad Dog’ meet by chance in the street. Though they hadn’t seen each other in over a year, the two men used to live together on the streets of Oxford. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
While sharing a drink and a smoke, Rob and Mad Dog talk about how they used to look after each other while living rough on the streets of Oxford. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
Having spent most of the day drinking, Rob falls asleep in the waiting room of the Social Security office in Brighton. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
After being kicked in the head while sleeping, Robert recently lost two of his front teeth – sadly, violence against rough sleeping homeless people is a fairly common occurrence in the UK. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
Rob falls over while sharing a drink with Mickey. Mickey, who has learning difficulties and mental health problems, became homeless after leaving the care system when he was 16. He has been sleeping rough "on and off" ever since. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
Clarence waits for friends in a park in the centre of town. Unlike many homeless people living in Brighton, Clarence insists that he doesn’t have a drink or alcohol problem, but still can’t access the resources he needs to permanently move off the streets. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
Frank stands in the doorway of a homeless outreach centre opposite the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, England. Frank is an elderly alcoholic who has been homeless for several years. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
Silva became homeless after leaving the care system when she was 16. She is now 22. The previous night, Silva was hit in the head with a small hammer when she tried to steal from a crack dealer. Her hair was thickly matted with blood. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
Like many rough sleeping homeless people, Silva has a drug and alcohol problem, as well as mental health issues and learning difficulties. Silva says that she was also mental and physically abused as a child, which led to her being put into care. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
Silva kisses a close friend on the cheek. Though she attends a homeless outreach centre on a daily basis, Silva finds it difficult to access the resources need to permanently move off the streets. Image Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
I first began to appreciate the unique power of photography as a tool for advocacy and social change after discovering the work of Don McCullin, Philip Jones Griffiths, Lewis Hine and Jacob Riis in my school library in 2001. Soon thereafter I enrolled in a darkroom-based photography course where I focused on acquiring the skills necessary to create photographs that critically and creatively reflect on social issues. Two years later, when I was 19 years old, I decided that I wanted to make a photographic documentary about rough-sleeping homeless people in Brighton, England. The issue of homelessness was something that I wanted to address in my work because I sympathise with the plight of homeless people and the difficulties that they face in their day-to-day lives. I felt appalled that so many people were sleeping rough on the streets of my hometown – that these people could be pushed aside and ignored by society – so I wanted to create a compassionate yet honest photographic essay about homelessness that could help restore public interest in this serious problem.
For various reasons, the work I produced regrettably failed to effect any kind of change or influence policy. However, the time I spent working on this assignment inspired a steadfast commitment to supporting people affected by homelessness through a variety of other means. If, like me, you feel passionately about solving the issue of homelessness in the UK, please consider donating to one of the following charities: Shelter , Crisis , Centrepoint and DePaul UK .
All images copyright © Thaddeus Pope. All rights reserved.
After talking at length about a business he used to manage before becoming homeless, Rob sits quietly with his eyes closed. Now in his 40’s, Rob has been sleeping rough for 4 years and suffers from alcoholism and depression. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
Rob waits with a female friend for the Social Security office to open. After becoming pregnant while living on the streets, her family have allowed her to return home while she goes through detox and prepares to have her baby. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
Old friends, Rob and ‘Mad Dog’ meet by chance in the street. Though they hadn’t seen each other in over a year, the two men used to live together on the streets of Oxford. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
While sharing a drink and a smoke, Rob and Mad Dog talk about how they used to look after each other while living rough on the streets of Oxford. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
Having spent most of the day drinking, Rob falls asleep in the waiting room of the Social Security office in Brighton. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
After being kicked in the head while sleeping, Robert recently lost two of his front teeth – sadly, violence against rough sleeping homeless people is a fairly common occurrence in the UK. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
Rob falls over while sharing a drink with Mickey. Mickey, who has learning difficulties and mental health problems, became homeless after leaving the care system when he was 16. He has been sleeping rough "on and off" ever since. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
Clarence waits for friends in a park in the centre of town. Unlike many homeless people living in Brighton, Clarence insists that he doesn’t have a drink or alcohol problem, but still can’t access the resources he needs to permanently move off the streets. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
Frank stands in the doorway of a homeless outreach centre opposite the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, England. Frank is an elderly alcoholic who has been homeless for several years. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
Silva became homeless after leaving the care system when she was 16. She is now 22. The previous night, Silva was hit in the head with a small hammer when she tried to steal from a crack dealer. Her hair was thickly matted with blood. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
Like many rough sleeping homeless people, Silva has a drug and alcohol problem, as well as mental health issues and learning difficulties. Silva says that she was also mental and physically abused as a child, which led to her being put into care. Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope
Silva kisses a close friend on the cheek. Though she attends a homeless outreach centre on a daily basis, Silva finds it difficult to access the resources need to permanently move off the streets. Image Image copyright © Thaddeus Pope
Homelessness in the UK by Thaddeus Pope