I was born into a comfortable middle class home of a military family in Camp Pendleton, CA. My father’s position as a Captain in the Marine Corps facilitated moves through a string of middle class neighborhoods in my early childhood. My mother was provided stability through my father’s income as we continued to move. When I was eight years old, my father had left my mother. The solid footing she once had socially and economically came to an abrupt halt. She began a descending spiral down the social ladder, which began with a second series of moves through low-income apartments.

I could not help but feel a familiarity with this family’s descending and ascending of the social classes. I have followed this family from the aggressive neighborhood of the Tribe, into Cheshire, Connecticut, an upper class suburb of New Haven. Out of guilt, April’s grandmother allowed the family to temporarily stay in their deceased uncle’s home, which was going through probate. What may prove to be a new beginning may result in their demise. Triggers of their destructive past still carry a significant role in their daily routines.

When I began my project in New Haven, Connecticut, I set out to view the foreclosure crisis through the eyes of my past. Foreclosures are a symptom of lack of government control on financial institutions. Property investors exploit zero interest loans with no true value, by renting properties out to unaware citizens. A cycle of irresponsibility is further perpetuated; allowing investors to purchase large quantities of homes with little or no collateral means a sacrifice at the community level.

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  The Tribe

  March, 2010

  Transiency is part of the landscape of survival for some low-income residents of New Haven, Connecticut. see more...