Janne – A Shadow in the Welfare State

• Prize
  Shortlist
• Photographer
  Stefan Hessman, Sweden
• Category
  Europe
• Studio
  Stefan Hessman

Janne has been homeless since 2007. Through my camera, I tell his story — a daily life in the shadow of the welfare state. He sleeps in the woods, finds peace in church, struggles with routines, and longs for a bed. Attacked for his vulnerability, yet surrounded by kindness. “I want to show that we homeless people exist. We are human like everyone else.” This is not just Janne’s life — it’s a mirror of our society.