Featured image by Seattle Times photographer Erika Schultz from the Portraits of Homelessness project 

The homeless are humans, too, and they face struggles unlike any other group of people in our society. Seattle Times Pacific NW Magazine writer Tyrone Beason and Seattle Times photographer Erika Schultz wanted to capture the human element of the homeless crisis to increase awareness and action. So Beacon and Schultz visited homeless camps around Seattle’s SODO District and asked residents to share their stories and concerns in their own handwriting and perspectives.

Beason and Schultz will share these stories and their experiences this Portraits of Homelessness project during a panel discussion on Thursday, May 4, at 7 p.m. at the Seattle Central Public Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue, in the Microsoft Auditorium on Level 1.

Ross Reynolds, Executive Producer of Community Engagement at KUOW public radio; Daniel Beekman, city government and local politics staff reporter for the Seattle Times; and Vernal Coleman, staff reporter for the Seattle Times; will also participate in the panel discussion.

Admission to the panel discussion is free, and registration is not required. Parking is available at the Seattle Central Library’s parking garage (view rates and garage hours). For public transportation options, check the King County Metro Trip Planner.

Update, May 6, 2017:

View the Seattle Times’ report from the project and the photo gallery.