It’s no secret that the Bay Area is grappling with a severe homelessness crisis. News outlets present the facts of the matter, occasionally peddling daunting numbers and complex terminologies as the latest BREAKING NEWS. But this shouldn’t come as breaking news to any of us. The homelessness crisis didn’t emerge overnight; it’s a disaster that’s been in the making for decades.

Behind each statistic you see on the nightly news is a face. A face invisible to the average passerby. A human being hidden in plain sight. A story waiting to be heard.

The first and most important step in building a future where each and every individual can live with dignity is understanding the experiences of the unhoused. We must push past stereotypes, societal labels and judgment to unlock the wealth of knowledge that the unhoused community has to offer.

With this goal in mind, I present to you FBTN — Faces Behind the Numbers. If there’s one thing you walk away with from this page, let it be the lesson of humanity. Let these stories inspire you to open your eyes and heart to those who may look different, speak different, sound different. Let us put these differences aside to work together for the betterment of mankind.