help homeless children

The Family Portrait Project
All families deserve the opportunity to have family pictures, and many families who lose their housing are unable to salvage personal belongings. Many families living in shelters do not even own a photograph of their child. Children and families who are homeless are called the "hidden homeless" because they often live “doubled up” with friends or relatives and stay in shelters where they are not as visible as people on the street.
In 2007, 150 families were photographed at the former D.C. Village Emergency Family Shelter through the Family Portrait Project. They each received three framed and enlarged pictures of their families. Some of the parents agreed to share their family portraits with you in hopes that public education can help harness the political will to address the affordable housing crisis in our city.
The Family Portrait Project is a program of the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project in partnership with photographer Tony Brunswick. It is sponsored by the Advisory Board Company, the Ramsay Merriam Fund and many individual donors large and small. This exhibit is made possible by the Executive Office of the Mayor. To view the portraits, please visit www.thefamilyportraitproject.com.