Chris Clark knows what it means to be invisible. For more than a year, his home has been the Bournemouth graveyard, his nights spent curled against the cold, his days met with averted gazes.
“Most people look at me like I’m worthless,” says the 43 year old. “Like I’m a piece of rubbish.”
Homelessness is often reduced to a single, oversimplified need—a roof over one’s head. But for Chris and others like him, the reality is more than that. More painful perhaps is the social exclusion, the stigma attached. Passersby step over him. Strangers mutter “get a job”.
A job! Chris would like nothing more. He nostalgically talks of when he had a job, a family. Now, he finds himself in the vicious cycle, with no real chance of stability.
Stigma is more than a word—it is a slow erasure. As sociologist Erving Goffman observed, it strips a person of their full humanity, reducing them to something tainted, an ‘other’. For those without a home, stigma is a daily weight, shaping how they are seen—and how they see themselves. It turns hardship into shame. And in Bournemouth, where the homeless are both visible and invisible, it has become another barrier in their struggle.
Jonathan Snape, who is 52, spent 38 years working in Australia as a renovator. But when he returned to Bournemouth, where he grew up, his circumstances changed. His homecoming coincided with the pandemic. Work dried up, and he found himself unable to keep up with bills. Stranded without the funds for a flight back to Australia, he now lives in a tent in Bournemouth Gardens.
“People assume I’m a bum who doesn’t want to work,” he says. “There is a certain number of homeless people that do take drugs, do drink alcohol, do get absolutely off their faces every day. Then there’s that small, small percentage of homeless people that get tarred with the same brush, you know—and it is just horrendous.”
The desire for acceptance and recognition is a basic human need. And when that need is not met there is an emotional toll. Lisa Everette, the head of the Support Team at Hope HTS, spoke of this.
“It’s heartbreaking to hear how often our clients feel dehumanised,” she said. “These are people with dreams, skills, and potential. Their current situation doesn’t define them.”
Everette added: “The longer someone is homeless, the more they internalise the stigma. It’s not just about finding a home; it’s about reclaiming their dignity and sense of self-worth in a society that often overlooks them.”
Indeed, the desire for recognition transcends all else. As Everette explained, even a simple act of acknowledgment can begin to shift a person’s outlook.
“Being seen as a human being is more important than anything else,” Everette said. “Acknowledging their struggles, listening to their stories, and treating them with respect can go a long way in restoring their confidence and hope.”
The cover image was generated with Microsoft Copilot.
