Willie

Willie was featured in Hamilton 365 on January 31 last year (http://www.hamilton365.com/index/photo/58#photo), photographed panhandling in front of the bank at the corner of King & James.  At that time, Willie was living on the street – sleeping out near the train station off Hunter Street by some exhaust grates that offered a few degrees of extra heat.

Most of the people who were featured in H365 would have had access to the Internet, so as a means of an exchange for letting me photograph them, I would send a few of the better images to their e-mail address.  For people like Willie, who didn’t have Internet access, I would make a point of getting some prints made.  The next time I would see them on the street, I would stop and give them the images.  I felt it an important gesture, to show that my taking their picture was not a one-way deal.  

With some of these people, this would be the start of a relationship of sorts.  Over the course of the year, if I saw them out on the street, I’d make a point of stopping to greet them and exchange a few words.  Gradually I got to know more about them, to be trusted with tidbits of knowledge about their past that accumulated over the year and helped to paint a picture as to why they were where they were.  

I’d see them go through the peaks and valleys of life on the street, felt encouraged for them when they were rested, sober, and appeared in better health – or felt depressed and angry when they were obviously drunk, stoned, or injured from a fall or altercation.

For quite a long time I wondered what I was doing engaging with these people on the edge of our society.  I was drawn to them but at the same time I also questioned deeply my own motives.  I had the time to be out on the street, photographing people, because I had lost my job as an Engineer in the auto industry.  This was a career change and an attempt to launch a new career as a photographer – so I wasn’t flush with money that I could spend on their charity.  What did I have to offer them?  I am a Christian guy, but to only say that I would pray for them seemed a bit hollow.

It took a long time, but I think I understand more now.  It’s about the relationship.

Willie has had a rollercoaster of a year since the last picture was taken.  He lost his best friend, Gary (http://hamilton365.com/index/photo/175#photo), in November.  Thankfully, he’s not living on the street now.  Through a program called “Hostels to Homes”, he now has a nice apartment.  You may still see him on the corner of King & James, as even with the benefit of the program he still doesn’t have much left over after he pays his rent.