Broken Lives Illustrated is the story of 12 homeless individuals living in St. Pete, Florida.
The subjects were interviewed and then turned into fine art by artist Jake Troyli jaketroyli.com

More info on their original kickstarter listing here

Documentary Notes

Hearing the stories of the homeless and expressing them through artwork.

Interviewees

Kevin Farley, college educated, ex-carpenter lost his job and girlfriend in Kentucky, USA.

Brian Douglas, lives in Maryland, born in Connecticut. Recovering drug addict following a biker lifestyle for many years. A bike accident now means his only form of income is disability allowance. Explains a lot of fights and robbery on the streets.

Borris Samson, St Petersberg, Florida. Spent a lot of time in children’s homes/re-formitory schools. Talks about sexual abuse, and beatings when he was a young child at said school.  The worst part of living on the street: no structure. Stuck in his past. Lived his life in and out of prison. “Existing without a purpose”.

Dave, been arrested 39 times in 2013.

Adam, absolute hero.

Hardest part about being on the streets? – Finding a safe place to sleep

Why don’t people sleep in hostels or shelters? – Hostels and shelter are noisy, smelly, cramped, hard to get any sleep.

Notes
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• Various forms of drug and alcohol use
• Mostly results from losing a job
• High reported rates of violent crimes on the streets
• Theft of the streets
• High reported rates of sexual abuse
• Living day to day, often living with other families

Further Resources
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St Vincents de Paul Shelter