How do you perceive “homeless people”? Would you be able to see your own family members if they were disguised as a homeless person on the street? The “New York City Rescue Mission” which provides support activities for the homeless recently conducted an experiment in New York which produce some surprizing results.

The experiment involved placing the family members of individuals in selected locations throughout New York City and disguise them as homeless people and then having these individuals walk by them to see if they would recognize them or not. These activities and the individual’s behavior were recorded on camera.

Here is Shaunya who participated in this social experiment.

Here is Shaunya walking right past her mother and her aunt who are posing as homeless people in the experiment.

Here is a photo of Veronika who also participated in the experiment.

This woman didn’t even recognize her own sister as she walked by this homeless woman (her sister in disguise).

These women express disappointment with their own behavior during this social experiment.

Trying to alter people’s attitudes toward the homeless is a real challenge as they are often ignored or not recognized as something that society can pro-actively deal with. Homeless support groups that were involved in this experiment have communicated “We must change the perspective of the homeless” and that the current situation in society needs to be re-evaluated.

See Video Here