Three lifelike sculptures of homeless people were placed at high foot-traffic locations in Vancouver’s downtown yesterday in an effort to raise awareness about homelessness.
The body sculptures depict a person in a sleeping bag, another pushing a cart and a third sitting on a bench.
“At the heart of the issue of homelessness, is the need for people to feel that they belong,” said Rev. Ric Matthews of First United Church. “While we can build housing with support services, what we really need to do is build relationships.”
The sculptures were faceless, an allusion to the feeling of invisibility that many homeless face.
The campaign also features an online component, with each sculpture having its own Facebook profile and back-story.
“Instead of walking past the same form that they’ve walked past many times in the past, this time they may just stop and share their stories with each other.”
