I had crouched just west of the Bloor/Yonge intersection in Toronto, shooting cyclists as they whizzed past, when this homeless woman wandered into the frame. She’s a familiar face and I know that she makes little distinction between a sidewalk and the middle of a road, yet somehow she doesn’t get mowed down by speeding cars. If you look closely, you’ll see that she’s carrying a cup of coffee in each of her jacket pockets. She is wearing fresh clothes and has a new “do”. Some of the local women’s shelters, like Lazarus House, give their clients new outfits and offer help with personal grooming. I saw this woman repeatedly in the days after I shot this photo and she continued wear the same clothes while her hair grew increasingly unkempt. Two weeks later, she had ditched these clothes and was wandering down the middle of the street in a hoodie.
