Susannah Kay Photography: December 2010

These past few weeks I've been dedicating most of my time to a story that I believe has enormous potential. Casey Callahan (31) and her two children, Lainie (13) and Sophia (5), are homeless. They once lived in Las Vegas, where Casey worked 12-hour shifts as a bartender on The Strip. As she describes it, they had it made. They used to be able to have $200 dinners at nice restaurants once or twice a week, and go home to their cozy town house every night. They were just three girls living the good life in the city of lights. Then Casey became addicted to methamphetamine and she lost everything. She lost her house, her belongings, and most importantly, she lost herself. She brought the girls to Sonoma County in California where her brother offered her a bartending gig at his bar in the town of Healdsburg. Shortly thereafter, the bar shut down, and in the blink of an eye Casey and her girls were evicted from their house and left to live on the streets. Luckily, Casey became sober and they were able to become part of a women's homeless shelter in Santa Rosa, California where they were given dinner and access to a kitchen, television, beds, and bathrooms.

For a situation that doesn't seem to have many positives, Casey has found plenty. She firmly believes that everything happens for a reason and that in order to move past certain situations, you must first embrace them. While most women in the shelter were getting ready for bed, Casey could be found whipping up a batch of Rice Krispy treats in the kitchen or chasing her girls around the house. I am so excited to work on this story because I have never met a family with more determination. I have no doubt they will find a way out of their situation. They have already taken the first step, recently finding a house in Healdsburg that they will be able to rent while it's being showcased for sale; meaning they may have it for as little as a few weeks or as long as a year. Regardless, they are so thankful to finally restore some normalcy to their lives.

My goal is to document the stages of this family's life through photography and audio, starting with being homeless. Every time I come back to Sonoma County I will be excited to pick up where I've left off. I have no idea where this story is headed, but I am so excited to see where it's going to go.

Here are some photos from what I call Stage 1.

Lainie (13), Casey (31), and Sophia (5) stand outside The Rose, a homeless shelter where they ate dinner every night for the past three and a half months.

Sophia and Casey stand in line for dinner at The Rose.

Sophia writes her name down on the shower list. Every night the women in the shelter are given access to take warm showers for a certain allotted period of time.

Sitting on the top bunk of a bed in the shelter, Sophia plays and talks with a doll to pass the time. Because most women in the shelter are older, Sophia doesn't have a group of girls her age to play or relate with.

Lainie drags Sophia out of bed when she refuses to brush her teeth. Lainie often takes care of Sophia when she knows her mom has her hands full, resulting in her being extremely mature for her age.

Sophia and Casey eat ice cream that Casey bought from G&G Market and snuck into the shelter after dinner.

Their few belongings lie on the bed as they prepare to move to their temporary home.

Casey and Lainie pose for a portrait taken on their friend's laptop. Pictures are very significant in Casey's life. When she looks at pictures of her past they remind her of where she's been, and give her incentive to not go back. "I was looking at pictures from when I totaled my car last year, and I just looked so pathetic. That was at the peak of my addiction. I never want to go back there."

Sophia jumps up and down in the Santa Rosa Junior College library as Lainie watches an episode of the O.C. On weekends, they spend 5-6 hours at a time on the computers in the library until the shelter opens for dinner. As a result, Sophia, having the energy of a typical five-year-old, often becomes extremely restless.

The girls make their way to school after getting off the bus. Because their shelter is in Santa Rosa and school is in Healdsburg, Casey has to spend ten dollars each day on transportation. Their new house in Healdsburg will be close enough to school that they will no longer have to rely on the bus to get them there.

Lainie talks with her grandpa, Casey's father, who owns the Rottin' Robbies gas station in Healdsburg. Casey explained that he once used to own a popular restaurant in downtown San Francisco. "My whole family has had our ups. When we were up, we were really up. But now we're down, and we're really down."

Sophia stares out the window on the bus home from school. Because she has to wake up at 5:30 AM to catch the bus for school, she is usually exhausted by the end of the day.