Joseph

A 43 year old unemployed chef from Michigan, Joseph has been living on the streets of Portland for 3 months. He told me he left his partner because she got involved with Meth. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he shared with me that after 3 years of sobriety he has fallen off the wagon. Hard. "I don't know what to do," he told me, looking straight into my eyes. His cardboard sign read a little compassion goes a long way. "My faith is all I have left," he said.

As I sat on the sidewalk with Joseph, my hand instinctively reached out to touch his arm. Through his hard exterior he smiled. I was reminded by Joseph that a little compassion really does go a long way.