When I started this interview with Robert I didn’t know reading lips was the only way he could understand me. The viewfinder was covering my mouth blocking the view to my face, but I quickly figured out what was wrong when Robert didn’t respond. I moved the camera so he could read my lips but it was awkward, and my hair kept getting in the way on that hot, muggy St Louis day.
Robert says, “sometimes there is nowhere else to go”, as he gives a very descriptive account of living in a tent city.
“Freedom is precious and you don’t want to give up because you are stuck in some shelter” really hits home to me. I know it’s easy for all of us to judge homeless people, but truth is, living in a homeless shelter is extremely challenging.