It’s no secret that the Bay Area is grappling with a severe homelessness crisis. News outlets present the facts of the matter, occasionally peddling daunting numbers and complex terminologies as the latest breaking news. But there’s more to this than facts. There are human lives at stake.

Behind each statistic you see on the nightly news is a face. A face invisible to the average passerby. A human being hidden in plain sight. A story waiting to be heard.

The first and most important step in building a future where each and every individual can live with dignity is understanding the experiences of the unhoused. We must push past stereotypes, societal labels and judgment to unlock the wealth of knowledge that the unhoused community has to offer.