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Homeless in Seattle

''This project started in the summer of 2006 as a small commission from Jewish Family Service in Seattle, and then expanded into a long-term personal project made possible by the generosity of the people in the pictures and the organizations that serve them. I have tried to show a faithful and accurate portrait of what homelessness in Seattle is today and to expand our perception of who these individuals are. Some of the images are portraits of people who have become my friends, others are quick photographs of people I have met briefly, and all have confounded my view of what being homeless means and looks like. I hope to challenge your expectations and to encourage a more humanistic view. I feel strongly that the issues in these photographs require critical and moral attention from all citizens: these are our neighbors, real people, suffering and succeeding – living lives, with the same ups and downs as the rest of us on the streets and in overcrowded shelters. I hope you take from these images an expanded, more nuanced view of what being homeless means in Seattle today, and that this moves you to give more support to this community in need. Matt Lutton, July 2008." © MATT LUTTON

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