Homelessness In Belfast

This photo was taken recently in Belfast. It's off one of the main streets in the city centre, away from the twinkling Christmas lights. At first you see the dirt, the graffiti on the walls, the cardboard. Then the neatly placed shoes, and then the toothbrush. This is someone's home. Or at least where they sleep at night. Their patch in the heart of the city centre. According to local homeless figures it is estimated that 30-40 people are sleeping rough in Belfast at any given time. The shoes break my heart, placed the way most of us place our slippers under the bed. Word has it that the street cleaners always put this person's shoes & toothbrush back in place. That's dignity.

This photo is even more compelling when you find out that it , and all the others making up the Hidden Voices exhibition at the Red Barn Gallery, were shot by people who used to be homeless. They knew where to look. They've been there. In the squats, behind dumpsters, in doorways. And they protect the person. You don't see their faces. There's no obvious signs to identify where they are. It's an unsaid code of honour.

When one of the photos shows a homeless man's tent has been slashed, you sense the protectiveness of the photographers, desperate to show the horror of sleeping rough, but also keenly aware of not giving away this person's patch. One squat showing a dirty mattress surrounded by rubbish is I'm told is in a leafy residential area of South Belfast. The man who took the photo tells me you can't capture the smell.

These images are only weeks old. Shot by men and women who aren't trained photographers but who got a chance to work on a remarkable project. Belfast's Westcourt Centre's Hidden Voices" project aims to capture and share the personal experiences of people who are homeless or have been homeless. The images show what it's like to be sleeping rough or staying in temporary accommodation. They are socially isolated. You don't get more socially isolated than becoming homeless.

They say we're never more than 2 to 3 paycheques away from being homeless. These photos are a sobering and moving insight into the lives of people in our city tonight, tomorrow night, and the next, and the next.......