Fighting Homelessness Through Humor

Two men have taken on the problem of homelessness in a less than traditional manner. “It never failed” commented the founders of Street-People.com,” every time we had to walk somewhere downtown we got panhandled”. These frustrations led to a conversation about how to draw more attention to the problem of homelessness. “The measures that are currently being undertaken to address the problem don’t seem to have an impact,” added the website founders. The website has generated anger from shelters, homeless resource groups, and other websites.

Street-People.com was created to chronicle the stories of the homeless, but in a way that’s not exactly sympathetic. The stories, profiles and photos on the website are not heart-wrenching portrayals of loss, but rather insights into the underground economics and off-the -radar lifestyles of the homeless as they try to cajole, scam, and plead for money from anyone they encounter. One of the most revealing stories on the website is of “Wheelchair Will” who confided that the wheelchair is just for show. A prop he uses to solicit sympathy and, he hopes, some spare change. The profiles featured on the site are of real homeless people from the founders’ hometown of Memphis and other cities in which they’ve had encounters with the homeless.

According to the National Alliance To End Homelessness, approximately 3.5 million individuals experience homelessness each year. Although most people who are homeless are served by shelters or a social agency there are long term homeless who live on the streets for years. The founders of Street-People.com do not feel they are exploiting the homeless in this project. “Traditional methods of drawing attention to the problem are not working and maybe a little satire would help.” The group created a line of merchandise for sale in the website’s “thrift store” which included “bum finds” that sells items the homeless have found while dumpster diving, and t-shirts and novelty items featuring colorful phrases from interviews the founders conducted with those featured on the website. “We felt this might get people’s attention if they started seeing people wearing t-shirts that turned homeless people into cult figures” added one of the founders.

The group even created a model release contract and pays the homeless for their stories and to appear on the website and merchandise. “We donate to charity, offered to buy meals, and supported organized efforts for homeless people. We just think a little humor might draw attention to the issue.” commented the founders.