Homeless State of Mind
After decades of living in shelters and on the street, Freddie Harris now finds himself with a one-bedroom apartment, thanks to his talents as an artist. (Detroit Free Press)
Harris has battled homelessness, diabetes and mental illness for decades. When a manager from a non-profit housing organization saw him scribbling away in a doorway, he discovered a skillful artist at work. The man went on to refer Harris to a program for the homeless and the mentally ill, and Harris eventually qualified for federal shelter and care vouchers.
Harris has a passion for drawing and is a self-taught artist using pencils, pens and spiral notebooks bought with money he earned collecting bottles and cans on the street. Harris recently had the first exhibition of his artwork in a gallery in the basement of his new apartment building.
Harris now must learn life skills including paying bills, buying groceries and cooking for himself. The change in his circumstances is often overwhelming and he admits that he doesn’t know whether or not this will be the end of his homelessness.
This video by the Detroit Free Press is a quiet portrait of one man’s struggle with poverty and illness. It won first place in the individual video category in the National Press Photographers Association’s multimedia contest for February 2009.
CHANNEL: Detroit Free Press (freep.com)
Length: 5:24
Produced by Marcin Szczepanski
Video by Marcin Szczepanski & Steve Palackdharry
Narration by Jeff Gerritt
VIEW: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=videonetwork&videoid=984457967
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