Photographers are intuitively drawn to the people or places that many fail to notice or simply ignore. One afternoon in May, freelance photographer Cathy Teesdale was hurrying up London’s Camden Road when she suddenly stopped in her tracks. There, sitting on the pavement, was a young homeless woman. “She looked up at me,” says Cathy, “gave me a beaming smile and asked if I could spare a cigarette.” The brief exchange that followed led to a series of life-changing events and a strong bond of friendship between the two women.
Naiomi was 23 and from Devon. Her story and dream of one day training horses compelled Cathy to share it on her Humans of Greater London (HoGL) Facebook page. Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s photography blog and bestselling book featuring street portraits and interviews collected in New York City, HoGL is “a daily stream of London’s human stories”, Cathy says, “to inspire greater faith in humanity and help dissolve prejudices”.
At the time of the women’s chance encounter, Naiomi had just been discharged from hospital where she had spent a month in treatment after developing a serious antibiotic-resistant foot infection called pseudomonas. Beyond the physical pain, however, was something more excruciating: while in hospital, Naiomi, who had been sleeping rough intermittently for three years, lost her hard-won hostel place, the latest cruel twist in a young life marred by adversity.
Naiomi had a difficult upbringing in Devon, due to a strained and complex relationship with her parents. During her teens, with the support of a local woman,
she was able to indulge her passion for horse riding and even completed her British Horse Society exams to become a qualified riding instructor. Plans to take her
talent further were put on hold, however, as old family conflicts resurfaced. Seeing no way out, Naiomi escaped to London where, due to financial difficulties, she soon found herself on the streets.
Recalling the moment she first heard Naiomi’s story and took her picture, Cathy says: “I wanted to capture the magic of her smile, because despite everything she’s been through, her spirit is still so strong.” After sharing Naiomi’s story and portraits on the HoGL Facebook page, the response was overwhelming: “People kept commenting on how inspirational Naiomi was and asked how they could help to get her off the streets,” she says.
Spurred on by this, Cathy began to research how she might be able to help. She landed on JustGiving’s crowdfunding platform. The practice of funding a project or venture by raising monetary contributions from a large number of people is well established, but JustGiving is trailblazing a new breed of crowdfunding campaigns, which have philanthropy at their core. JustGiving’s crowdfunding site allows you to raise funds for good causes, either helping a specific person in need, like Naiomi, or doing something for the wider community, such as renovating public gardens. Cathy’s goal was clear: she wanted to galvanise support to help Naiomi pay for short-term accommodation, giving her a roof over her head while her foot healed.
All JustGiving Crowdfunding pages include a monetary target decided upon by the page owner, with a set period of 30 days in which to raise the funds. Cathy set her target at a modest £500, but within two days donations had reached £1,140, as the story of her campaign spread far and wide. “When people pledge, they can share what they’ve done on social media and it starts a ripple effect – your message gets out there.”
Making headway so soon proved instrumental: “The fact that we hit our target early meant that I was able to give Naiomi an advance, which allowed her to get into a hostel much faster,” she says.
Once in the hostel, Naiomi was then fast-tracked on to her local council’s social housing list and allocated a one-bedroom flat, where she is now concentrating on getting well and gaining enough independence to pursue her dream of training horses. More than that, the experience has restored Naiomi’s sense of self-worth. “At the time, I was very depressed about my situation,” she says. “But then I read all the lovely comments from people who have never even met me and they really lifted my spirits.”
Cathy echoes this: “One of the best things about crowdfunding is that it’s so personal and tangible. Seeing such encouragement has made Naiomi feel buoyant about her future and more determined to get well. JustGiving allowed people to help Naiomi in a direct and concrete way.”
JustGiving Crowdfunding allows anyone to create a campaign and transform people power into donations. Find out more at crowdfunding.justgiving.com
