Hello, my name is Philip Farnsworth.

Forty years ago, I published a book called Under the Bridge—My first major project as an aspiring photojournalist, it was born from months spent in Hartford’s hidden places, sitting with people who had been pushed to the margins. I didn’t just photograph the men and women living under the bridges; I listened to them. I learned how they got there, what they had lost, and what they were still fighting to hold on to. That work helped shine a light on Hartford’s growing homelessness crisis in 1988, and it contributed to real improvements in living conditions at the time.

This project helped start a fire in my soul, one that yearned to bring a spotlight to those who were being forced to live in inhumane conditions and were treated by the public like pests. To show that these are real people, people who need food and shelter and a nice warm bed.

But now, four decades later, the situation is worse than ever.

Hartford’s homeless community is facing challenges that are deeper and more complex than ever—addiction, mental-health struggles, a severe shortage of affordable housing, and systems that too often leave people with nowhere safe to go. Many are surviving in unstable, dangerous conditions, largely unseen by the wider public.

My mission is to return to those same spaces and document how the condition of homelessness has evolved. The solutions implemented 40 years ago are no longer viable. The only way for us to know how to help is to understand

I want to create a new body of work that sparks awareness, conversation, and action—just as Under the Bridge once did.

Your support will help me shine a light on these stories and continue advocating for safer, more humane conditions for Hartford’s most vulnerable residents. Together, we can make a difference for people who have been unseen for far too long.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for caring about those who are too often unseen. Together, we can bring their stories into the light.