Every Day and Everyday Gratitude Challenge: Day 4: Deloria

Yesterday evening the Vision Gallery had a reception: Portraits of Homelessness, an exhibit featuring the photographs of the late John Power and also, Robin Finlinson. The portraits are of participants of I-HELP (Interfaith Emergency Lodging Program), here in Chandler, a program that provides a place to eat and sleep each night of the year in one of the seventeen participating churches.

The program has been very successful in providing services to connect homeless individuals to the vital resources necessary in their community to regain stability. I had the opportunity to do some of the interviews, including Deloria, who is one of the former homeless women featured at the exhibit:

DeloriaHometown: Sacaton, Arizona

When asked about five words to describe herself, Deloria, a Native American from the Hopi, Pima, and Havasupai tribes, summed her story up with three: “I loved Willie.”

Willie, her partner of eighteen years, died last spring. Deloria cannot talk about him without tears, a companion who shared her years of homelessness before they got a place together only a few months before his death.

“That’s all the words right there,” she said. 

Gallery Hours for Portraits of Homelessness: Monday - Friday, 10 am to 5 pm. Saturdays 10 am to 4 pm. Vision Gallery, 10 E Chicago St, Chandler, AZ.