San Francisco Public Press

Facing Brutal Storms, Homeless People Encountered Hurdles to Finding Shelter

Madison Alvarado, Yesica Prado

After deadly storms ravaged California’s San Francisco Bay area, journalists from San Francisco Public Press focused on a particularly vulnerable population: unhoused people. Local shelters were close to capacity, and many of those residents couldn’t search online for options for shelter. Madison Alvarado and Yesica Prado talked with more than two dozen people about those challenges and captured those moments of their lives, as they stood under narrow overhangs or sat or crouched beside buildings, some of them with only a coat or poncho to shield them from the rain. The photography “really helped illustrate the challenges faced by a group of people that are often left in the shadows of our communities,” a judge said. “The interactive map was also a nice touch to illustrate where the reporters walked around to speak with folks.”

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Facing Brutal Storms, Homeless People Encountered Hurdles to Finding Shelter