Page 10 •
Street Roots • June 26-July 3, 2015
News
Of
image
and
art
Seattle-based architect,
photo-journalist and
community activist Rex
Hohlbein built his nonprofit,
Facing Homelessness, on
the back o f a Facebook page
called Homeless in Seattle.
The page shares true stories
o f homelessness.
BY AARON BURKHALTER
CO N T R IB U TIN G W RITER
ex Hohlbein built a nonprofit on the
back of a simple Facebook page on
homelessness called “Homeless in
Seattle.” Hohlbein’s more than 16,000
followers see beautiful black-and-white
portraits of homeless people or someone
working around homelessness with a
small story or an inspirational quote.
Sometimes the posts include a request.
On April 24, Homeless in Seattle posted
that a friend of the organization, Joseph,
had found work in Alaska and needed a
good hiking backpack for his journey that
would begin in June. Within a couple
weeks, several people had dropped off
backpacks.
Social media has a reputation for
distraction and noise, but on Homeless in
Seattle, Hohlbein’s enthusiasm and
emotion bleeds through every word. In
response to the donations, Hohlbein
shared his signature “wowWOW”
response, with an all-caps emphasis fitting
for the man’s bottomless well of energy.
“You must already know this, but it
bears repeating,” he wrote in response.
“That all of you in the Homeless in
Seattle community are changing lives
through your unconditional LOVE, each
time you touch someone struggling on the
street you give HOPE.”
Hohlbein started as an architect
designing million-dollar buildings for
wealthy clients. After forming several
friendships with homeless people outside
R
See HOHLBEIN, page 11
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