On Nov. 7, WUOT-FM will begin airing interviews with the homeless in an eight-week series entitled "The Other Side of the Street." WUOT news director Matt Shafer Powell conducted the interviews, which will complement a collection of studio portraits of the homeless taken by Knoxville photographer David Habercom in a future gallery exhibit.

The series looks to portray the homeless as very similar to other people and as individuals with normal ambitions we often take for granted, Powell said.

"These are people who really have dreams that in some cases aren't so different than the dreams we have," Powell said. "One woman I talked to wants a house some day where she can plant a garden. That to me seemed so simple."

The overall effect is, ‘Oh my god, these are real people.'
David Habercom on the impact of his portraitsHabercom, who undertook a similar project four years ago entitled "Under the Bridge," said, "The idea is rooted in my own fear. Like most people I was afraid of homeless people. I'd roll up my windows and lock the doors. One day I realized I didn't like that. I didn't like being afraid, and I wanted to get past that. That's when I started thinking about making portraits of people on the street."

Habercom's studio portraits of the homeless depict them in a way we normally don't see. Photos of the homeless are usually taken from a far distance and picture someone sleeping, Powell said. Habercom's portraits are close-ups and show an entirely new dimension to homelessness.

Habercom said, "The reason (the portraits) are so strong and resonate with people is that's the way we don't usually see people. In those photographs we are able to make a close eye-contact connection we wouldn't make otherwise. The overall effect is, ‘Oh my god, these are real people,' and in the right light, they look good."

A gallery exhibit is planned for the future, but it is still in its beginning stages of development, Powell said. They plan to have the portraits displayed in conjunction with a sound loop that plays parts of the interviews. Visitors will look at the portraits but won't know to whom they are listening.

The series will air every Wednesday on "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered." A Web page is also set to debut that will have the various segments and images of the homeless whose interviews were played over the air.