When a house becomes a home: Submitted by Stephen Uhraney
My name is Stephen Uhraney, I am a Toronto based documentary photographer.
Recently I made way through the doors of downtown Toronto’s Seaton House, the large shelter that offersmedical assistance and life skills training to homeless men with a range of needs,including very poor health, drug and alcohol problems, and mental illness.
My goal? To not only get a better sense of the inner workings of Seaton House, but to also learn more about its clients—to understand who they are as people, not as ugly stereotypes. Many stories have been done on the homeless and they all have the same clichéd slant Wino’s living on the street, not doing anything but getting drunk and beggingfor money.
Seaton House is a refuge for the guys, a safe place to stay and get help. You hear stories about the place and you feel apprehensive about going in. What surprised me was how unscary it really is. Everybody was great, from the staff to the clients. So that’s the direction I took: Show Seaton House for the great place it really is, and how dedicated the staff are to looking after these guys.
I happily spent several days interacting with the men there, feeling their friendliness and enthusiasm for my project, and their appreciation for the care they receive from doctors and staff. It was an eye-opening experience to be allowed inside with a camera, and I hope to be able to go back and do more.
Some of the stories were heartbreaking though. One client, Brian, who is quite ill, was so open to having his picture taken and telling his story that it tugged at the heart. The picture above is of Brian T. a patient of Dr.Svoboda. Brian has been homeless and living on the street for over 20 years, he has Hepatitis C, and due to complications from his illness he has less than two years to live.
He has requested that upon his death, his body be donated to medical research.
