Steef
The Hague, 2009 - 2010
Book - Steef – 2010
By Eric Kampherbeek and Jeroen Stam
Published by Boeken aan zee
ISBN/EAN 978-90-815590-1-0
64 pages 20x25cm soft cover
€19,95,- excl. shipping
Steef grows up in a warm and close-knit family in Rotterdam, surrounded by music and a deep belief in people. Years later, his life seems stable and happy: he works hard, meets the love of his life and builds a life with her. But when she becomes seriously ill and dies, his world falls apart.
What follows is a gradual but relentless decline. Through an accumulation of loss, bureaucracy and misfortune, Steef loses his home, his income and eventually his sense of stability. He ends up on the streets, spending months trying to survive in parks and homeless shelters, while the institutions meant to support him are unable or unwilling to help.
Still, he refuses to give up. With the help of a small number of people who take an interest in his situation, he slowly begins to rebuild his life. His experiences permanently change the way he sees society. Drawing on what he has been through, he establishes a foundation to help others who find themselves in similar circumstances.
Together with journalist Jeroen Stam, I followed Steef for a year, documenting his story at close range.
Steef’s story reveals how fragile the boundary between security and precarity can be, and how resilience and human compassion can make all the difference.