At the time of making the work, Conlan had been working as a picture editor on a Liverpool magazine. Frustrated by the constant stream of reductive and stigmatising images of homeless people, he chose to leave his job and begin the project. “Not every homeless person is an alcoholic and certainly not every alcoholic is homeless,” he later recalled. “Sickened by it all I left the magazine and started the Homeless Project.”

The resulting photographs move beyond surface impressions, showing people in moments of connection, resourcefulness and quiet resilience. Conlan’s images resist easy narratives, instead foregrounding the dignity and individuality of his subjects. Somewhere Called Home sits within a wider tradition of socially engaged documentary, committed to challenging assumptions and changing how marginalised communities are seen.

Steve Conlan is a British photographer whose work has consistently focused on working-class communities and the politics of place. Born in Bootle, Merseyside, his early experience of housing clearance and the fracturing of extended family networks left a lasting impression. Discovering photography through a community arts project, he came to understand it as a way to challenge narratives and amplify overlooked voices.

Conlan’s photographs reflect a deep respect for the people and places he documents. Whether working in Bootle, Liverpool or North Shields, he brings attention to how policy, poverty and pride shape everyday lives, always returning to the idea that communities know their own stories best.