A Day in the Life

As part of a project started by three recent college graduates who are interns at the BBH advertising agency, four homeless persons were given cell phones and asked to tweet about their daily routine to twitter. Derrick Wiggins, 44, posts about a dozen updates to twitter every day, offering a glimpse into the life of a homeless man in New York.

“The trains are warm and clean, a suitable refuge from the cold,” read a message posted at 9:13 a.m. He posted a photograph he snapped with his phone, of a homeless man sleeping on the subway, behind a shopping cart full of belongings.
“Who’s son, brother, uncle or father is he? What services are available?” Mr. Wiggins wrote.

These sobering messages allow his 3,800 followers to better understand the situation many homeless people are in. When Wiggins couldn't pay the rent for his last apartment, he stayed with a friend before becoming fully homeless. Although his situation is unfortunate, he manages to stay upbeat, much to the credit of his followers who offer him encouragement. This experiment makes even more clear the importance of doing whatever is possible to help those in need.