I met Jerry outside of Union Station on a cold morning. He was asking passersby for change, but he didn't seem used to having to ask people for help. "I'm from Miami, and I'm here looking for work. I like working nine to five - all I want to do is work. I've worked everywhere - I helped set up the stage for Obama in Denver, I ran a daycare once. I like working with kids - helping them make their life better - if I could do anything I wanted, thats what I'd do."
Jerry agreed to be interviewed but asked that I take his photos using my phone rather than my camera. I said I was fine doing that, but that the camera would take better images. He gave me his phone number and said that he would let me take his picture with a camera when he was better groomed, maybe a headshot for a job application later. I left him with information about Jubilee Jobs, an organization that provides job preparation and placement for the unemployed in Washington D.C., and he was excited about hearing about them. I haven't seen Jerry on my subsequent visits to Union Station - I hope that he has found fulfilling work, and a warm home.