A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words: Challenging Stigma through PhotoVoice

Health centers providing services to people experiencing homelessness have tremendous potential to directly influence the underlying societal inequities that contribute to health disparities of underserved populations. Stigma against marginalized populations causes numerous negative outcomes that affect mental and physical wellbeing, comfort accessing services or support, and access to opportunities for growth.

The National Health Care for the Homeless Council developed a PhotoVoice Learning Collaborative to address the stigma of homelessness. This three-year project included eight health centers that collaboratively developed national and local photography exhibits to increase awareness and knowledge about the experience of homelessness and provide an opportunity to share local consumers’ stories. This brief will describe the project development, structure, and outcomes, as well as lessons learned for organizations who want to create their own PhotoVoice projects.