Invisible Families | A hidden niche of the homeless

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Cherie Moore and her son Cody Barnes share a small discover on the beach of Saltwater State Park. They depend on each other to keep their spirits up. Their bond is tight with no strong support system of close friends or family to help them in times of need.

By Erika Schultz

Since spring, journalists from the community and The Seattle Times have been working to produce stories about family homelessness as part of a fellowship through Seattle University, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Homelessness and poverty are complex topics. While working on the project, reporter Lornet Turnbull and I talked to dozens of organizations, caseworkers and families. It's important for photographers to be active in the reporting and researching. You can't expect stories to be dropped in your lap. You have to find them. And, in our case, it took months.

There is a reason why our series is called "Invisible Families." Parents with kids are the fastest growing yet least visible sector of the homeless population. Families stay hidden away — doubling up with friends or staying in emergency shelters — versus sleeping on the street.

And finding a family who feels comfortable sharing their story can be a challenge.

Some parents feel fine discussing their struggles, but their child may not want friends at school to know.

Caseworkers are sometimes protective of their clients, because they may be stressed or dealing with trauma. They may want to refer you to a family who was previously homeless, versus a family who is in a tougher situation.

Other families may not want to be labeled as homeless. They see their situation as only temporary.

So, when we met families who felt comfortable sharing their stories and opened up their lives to us, it felt very precious.

Kim Ahern, 47, moved her two sons — including Jack, 9 — from Chicago to Seattle in April after months of looking for work. While in the Midwest, she read online that jobs would open up in Seattle at the end of the recession. Without lining up a job, she moved to Seattle hoping to find secretarial work and a fresh start.

The hotel vouchers Kim Ahern was counting on weren't available when she arrived in Seattle, so she reluctantly moved with Jack and Tom, 19, into Nickelsville, one of Seattle's tent cities. It was a backup plan. They stayed at Nickelsville's Central District location for two weeks. Then they traveled with the encampment when it moved to Skyway.

Kim and Jack allowed me to be with them on good days and bad, during all hours of the day and night. They were generous with their time and always returned my calls. When big moments happened in their lives — like moving into their first apartment in Seattle — they let me know. And, I tried to be there during those important occasions if I was scheduled to work that day or not.

Through the photographs, captions and video, I hope I conveyed not only the basics of their story, but Kim's sense of humor and love for her son. I also hope I shared part of Jack's imaginative and gregarious personality.

It takes a lot of courage to share your story with the public — especially during difficult times.

I really appreciate Kim, Tom and Jack for opening up their lives to all of us. I hope it only gets better for them as they settle into their new lives in Seattle.

I also want thank Cody Barnes and Cherie Moore for sharing their story about grappling with housing in South King County.

Cherie and Cody slid into homelessness the way an increasing number of families do, first bunking with relatives and friends until those options run out. Although Moore works as a caregiver for the elderly and disabled, the number of hours she works often fluctuates. The job pays only about $11.55 an hour -- not enough, Moore says, to pay for housing.

During three weeks this spring, the family lived their old Ford Ranger truck. We met Cody and Cherie during this time period.

Cody was very shy when we met. He hid in the backseat of the truck during introductions. I think it was very courageous of him to be a part of this project.

Cherie and Cody also were fantastic about keeping in communication through phone calls and text messages, and allowing me to spend time with them for months on end. Thank you for your time and generosity.

Good luck with all your future endeavors.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Photojournalist Erika Schultz chronicled the daily lives of numerous families living in this situation. Another family, Oo Meh , 56, and her daughter An Na "Tutu," 17, struggle to keep their Kent apartment. Oo Meh is learning English and hopes to earn money from sewing on a donated machine while Tutu attends school. They immigrated to the United States after living in a refugee camp on the Thai-Burmese border.

CHERIE MOORE AND CODY BARNES

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Cherie Moore walks through Saltwater State Park. The park served as a refuge for Moore and her son while living in their truck.

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Cherie Moore and her son Cody Barnes sit in the Westfield Southcenter Mall parking lot trying to figure out where to park for the night. For approximately three weeks, Moore and Barnes said they lived in their vehicle around South King County.

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

While living at a YWCA emergency shelter, Cherie Moore and her son Cody Barnes walk around Kent picking up apartment listings at local supermarkets and retail stores.

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Cherie Moore tears up while talking about her homeless situation at Saltwater State Park in Des Moines. While living in her truck, Moore worried about a wide range of issues -- from health care for her son to getting enough hours at work.

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Cody Barnes and his mother Cherie Moore become frustrated discussing their homeless situation inside a shopping mall in South King county.

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Cherie Moore walks through an apartment for rent in Des Moines. "My biggest fear was not ever having a stable roof over our heads," she said. While looking at this apartment, Moore was staying in an emergency shelter in South King County.

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Cody Barnes balances a mattress on his head as mother Cherie Moore hurries to open the door to their new apartment in Kent. Barnes and Moore slept with blankets on the floor for several weeks before finding mattresses through New Destiny Church. "I slept like a baby in my new (used) bed," Moore said. "I didn't want to get up."

KIM AND JACK AHERN

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Kim Ahern and her son Jack Ahern, 9, cuddle after a looking for a room to rent in Seattle's University District. "Jack is the most incredible kid I have ever met in my entire life and I'm not just saying that because he's mine," Kim said. "I pinch myself."

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Kim Ahern and her son Jack Ahern, 9, look through magazines while washing their clothes at the Urban Rest Stop in downtown Seattle.

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

After being tucked in for the night, Jack Ahern, 9, plays inside his tent in Nickelsville. He hopes to go whale watching near the San Juan Islands and eat spaghetti for his birthday in the Space Needle when things get better.

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Jack Ahern, 9, marches with a bamboo stick while staying in Nickelsville. Almost everyday was an adventure for Jack at the tent city, located in Skyway. Sometimes, Jack would enlist fellow "Nickelodeons" to help him look for worms. On other days, he'd play on a pogo stick, in mud puddles or with the resident camp kitten that had six digits on one paw. The bamboo stick was a gift.

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Jack Ahern, 9, shows off his cookie's fortune while eating and playing in a lakeside park on Lake Union. The fortune reads, "Your life will be happy and peaceful."

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

A handmade "Welcome home" sign is pinned to Jack and Kim's door in their University District apartment.

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Jack Ahern, 9, plays a video game in the the room he and his mother Kim share in the University District of Seattle.

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Jack Ahern, 9, rests on a mattress while moving into their new apartment in the University District. Ahern and his mother lived in Nickelsville, the roving homeless encampment named after former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, for a month before finding a room to rent.