Andrea Carlton knows the kind of isolation sex workers can feel from their community and their neighbours.
She spent nine years in the sex trade at the street level. It wasn't a choice – it rarely is on the street. It was a necessity to fuel an addiction and to stay alive.
Carlton left sex work seven years ago after her second child was born to work as a social worker and help women who wanted out, just like her.
"They're real. They're humans. They have a heart, soul and emotions," Carlton said.
Now, she's part of a new project from the Social Planning and Research Council (SPRC) that aims to bridge the gap between sex workers and their communities and fix problems surrounding the sex trade collaboratively.
It's a two-fold project – one element is artistic, and one is research based. On Tuesday night, a host of community groups including the SPRC and the Elizabeth Fry Society are presenting the Photovoice exhibit, which explores sex worker's experiences through photos.
You can see those photos in the gallery above. Carlton was one of those photographers. She felt some sadness going back to the places she used to work – but not regret.
"It was something I had to go through to gain compassion for myself and others," she said.
On the research side, there's the SPRC's report on the community engagement process on street level sex work in the Sherman Hub. The report will be available Tuesday night.
The report recommends several steps to make life easier for street level sex workers, from creating more walkable streets in the Sherman neighbourhood to increasing opportunities for counseling for youth who experience sexual abuse and violence.
Report author Deirdre Pike says one of the most important things people can take from her research is that as a community, we should focus on the underlying issues that cause women to turn to the street level sex trade rather than pointing fingers at people who are perceived as a problem.
"Poverty breeds addiction and desperate measures," she said. "You do what you have to to feed your kids."
The exhibit runs from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at St. Gile's Church at 85 Holton Avenue South.
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