
Barbara Berryman
Barb says since taking this photo, she sees how many kinds of strength it represents. "I just figured it was the strength of water. But then after it was chosen, and thinking about it, it also represents the strength of people when they're knee-deep in certain situations in life and to just let them know that sometimes you're only knee-deep;you're not drowning."
Barb took this photo at Sunnyside Beach, one of her favourite beaches in Toronto. "I've been going down there for probably 30+ years. Swimming, biking, roller skating. I raised my kids down there." Last year, Barb found housing after being homeless for over a year. "Before I was homeless, I was middle-class. I had a full-time job. She admits to having stereotyped homeless people in the past. "Having my own experience [with homelessness], I'm no longer that person," she says.
Barb says she hopes her participation in MYTORONTO will help change people's perspective on homelessness. "I do not judge people anymore, because I don't know their story."