Documenting economic inequality and homelessness in California’s Bay Area, this photo essay, by photojournalist Rucha Chitnis, gives faces and voices to the people behind the numbers. The article shines light on homelessness, the impact of poverty on people with disabilities, and the criminalization of the poor—three significant issues in the US that Trump’s proposed budget will have a devastating impact on. The essay makes it clear that low-income and disabled community members will not see their dreams unleashed by Mr. Trump’s new financial plan. The budget will “Make America Great Again” for the already rich, while devastating the rest. Read the introduction. Click on any image to open the slideshow.

Brett Schnaper arrived in Berkeley when he was 17 years old. He became homeless at the age of 54. “I have osteoarthritis, and my nerves are dying. I couldn’t pay my rent and became homeless,” he said. “If I don’t find adequate housing, I will probably wind up in a wheelchair. If I spend another winter out on the streets, I will probably die.”

“The city is hiring professionals with book knowledge, who have not lived a life on the streets. I have ten years on the streets—a PhD in poverty,” Michael Zint, founder, “First They Came for the Homeless” encampment protest

Schnaper is part of “First They Came for the Homeless” encampment protest. Most members of this encampment community have a disability. Their agenda is clear: to become the visible faces of homelessness by setting up tents in the heart of the city to bring attention to the crisis of affordable housing. “Homeless people can solve their own problems, because this is our lived experience. The city is hiring professionals with book knowledge, who have not lived a life on the streets. I have ten years on the streets—a PhD in poverty,” said Michael Zint, the founder of the encampment protest.

Zint says their camp has been raided over 15 times since October 2016, often before dawn when it is bitterly cold. Each time, their possessions are confiscated by the police, including tents and blankets. The encampment protestors are demanding the city of Berkeley sanction an area for a responsibly-run tent city, where the rules would be designed by the homeless to live safely without the threat of eviction. “This is the very first step for our stability. Tents save lives. Then we are requesting the city to set up tiny homes or container homes, which are not expensive, and finally move the homeless into affordable housing, which will take years,” he said.