Homeless 101

Look into the faces and hearts of 8 men and women who have been homeless in Durban, and learn more about homelessness as a critical social and human issue.

The people we will introduce to you are not the hooded shadowy figures that usually illustrate stories of homelessness. These are not the blurred-out faces we sometimes see in exposé videos. They are not the ‘invisible men’ we drive past at robots whose gaze we try to avoid as they beg for our help. We hope that you will look into these eyes of these people as they open their souls to you. These women and men tell of transforming their own lives and the lives of others.

Photographer Obakeng Molepe and copywriter Sithembiso Shoba have collected these words and images from the streets of Durban and the work of the Denis Hurley Centre. Similar stories are repeated across the country.

Each of the 10,000+ homeless people in each of South Africa’s major cities has a face, a heart, a name, and a story.