Understanding Poverty

by

“I met Barry in 2008 through a Houston nonprofit called SEARCH Homeless Services. He was a student at UT-Austin until he had a nervous breakdown, and then lived with his mother until she died in 2000. Shortly after, the house where they had lived together burned down and Barry was out on the streets. He has a job selling the Houston Chronicle, and in this photo he’s lit by car headlights, holding his last ragged and torn paper. He’s got beautiful blue eyes, and a sweet innocence to him. He’s just not able to function in the workplace, like many others. I hope when people see this photo, they’ll think of the human cost of neglecting the least fortunate among us.”

See more of Ben DeSoto’s work at www.bendesoto.com

CALL FOR ENTRIES: Seeking Texas-based documentary photography that captures the strangest state. Please send inquiries to [email protected].