Jordan Verdin

Jordan Verdin Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Jordan Verdin, Photographer, Oceanside, CA.

12/18/2025

Street Stories has officially launched.
At its core, this project is about listening. Again and again, people have shared the need to be seen and heard. Over the next few months, we’re committing to interviewing every person experiencing homelessness in Oceanside. It’s a big goal, but one we believe is necessary. We’re taking a new approach, using AI ethically to surface shared insights across stories, while ensuring the direction always comes from the people themselves. Their collective voice is shaping solutions that are more human, more thoughtful, and rooted in real experience.

If you’re looking to learn more or be involved, visit streetstories.com

“My name is Paul; I was born and raised in Oceanside. When I was a youngster, I wanted to be a professional surfer, but ...
10/24/2024

“My name is Paul; I was born and raised in Oceanside. When I was a youngster, I wanted to be a professional surfer, but I got into drugs and went the wrong way. Once you start, it’s hard to come back. I had a lot of friends who could have been in the Olympics, but they also made the wrong choices. I spent a lot of time in prison and thought that was the life I wanted to live. Nobody deserves to be locked up in a bathroom by themselves for years. That’s what happened to me. I had to re-teach myself everything, even how to accept feelings. You’re supposed to learn these things as a kid, but I didn’t. Teaching myself as an adult wasn’t what I wanted to do, but I had to move forward.

Out on the streets, you can see it both ways—there’s negativity, but there’s also positivity everywhere you go. There are people out there who aren’t nice. They walk around at night, and if you’re sleeping on the sidewalk and not ready for it, anything could happen. I had no direction; I could do whatever I wanted, but I chose the wrong things. We all make choices, but sometimes we make the wrong ones at the wrong time, and they have a big effect. A couple of words from somebody can change your life. A response at the wrong moment, saying yes when you should have said no, can change everything.”
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I’ve known Paul for about two years now; if you would like to share an uplifting word with him, please do. I will relay the kind comments to him. Thank you!

“Well, there’s a song called Perspectives. It’s about the angle that you’re looking from. So, I feel like many people lo...
06/30/2024

“Well, there’s a song called Perspectives. It’s about the angle that you’re looking from. So, I feel like many people look down on it and judge because they don’t understand it. And I can’t judge them for that because there are many things I have no comprehension of because I’ve never experienced them myself.

The way that you look at it decides how you’re going to see it. So if you’re looking at it from knowing that you want to judge and look down, that’s what you’re going to do. And that’s all you’ll see, which is the negative instead of the positive side of me.

Show compassion. Empathy is one thing, but compassion is the next step from that. So when you see people struggling, whether they’re homeless or not, just help. Do something if you can. If you can’t, then just words are enough sometimes.”- Dee
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What would we say to one another? How would we treat each other if we saw ourselves in the shoes of others? This is just a simple photo idea, and I hope to inspire people to see themselves in the shoes of others, contributing to a more kind world. A mile in my shoes.

“When you don’t have materials or possessions that guide you comfortably, all you have is your feet and your shoes. Your...
06/27/2024

“When you don’t have materials or possessions that guide you comfortably, all you have is your feet and your shoes. Your shoes can only do so much; they’re material, just like your skin. My shoes are super important because I must walk 30 to 100 miles, given where I’m going and what I’m trying to do to get out of my position. I don’t just sit around waiting. Like everyone, I’m striving to rise from my position. A lot of good people go through the worst things. Don’t assume that those people are going through things because they are not good people. Like me, they’re trying to stride in the right way and still survive. A lot of bad things happen to good-hearted people. Keep that in mind when it’s your time to be there for somebody, or it’s their time to be there for you.” - Aaron
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What would we say to one another? How would we treat each other if we saw ourselves in the shoes of others? This is just a simple photo idea, and I hope to inspire people to see themselves in the shoes of others, contributing to a more kind world. A mile in my shoes.

“These shoes were brand new just last week, but look at them now. I’ve walked miles in them; they have put in work. Peop...
06/21/2024

“These shoes were brand new just last week, but look at them now. I’ve walked miles in them; they have put in work. People often look at me and think I’m stealing, but that’s not who I am. My shoes might be dirty and worn out, but they tell the story of my daily grind. If you had to walk in my shoes, you’d understand the struggle and strength it takes to get through each day. Most people wouldn’t be able to walk a day in my shoes. I’m not just what you see on the outside.” -Bryan (24)
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What would we say to one another? How would we treat each other if we saw ourselves in the shoes of others? This is just a simple photo idea, and I hope to inspire people to see themselves in the shoes of others, contributing to a more kind world. A mile in my shoes.

“These shoes were given to me by a really good friend who’s pregnant out here on the street. The same chick hit me over ...
06/20/2024

“These shoes were given to me by a really good friend who’s pregnant out here on the street. The same chick hit me over the head with a skateboard. The shoes were important because I think she was probably embarrassed by my toenails. I drunkenly tried to paint them, and they looked like talons—ridiculous. I’m not girly, but she gave me the shoes, and we became good friends.

You can’t judge people because of their situation. I encountered a man being ridiculed outside a liquor store because his pants were falling off. He had $400 on him and gave it to me. I helped him by pulling up his pants; in return, he handed me the money. Even though I needed the money at the time, I felt it was a moment where a higher power was guiding me, and I decided to tuck the money back into his pocket. I was thinking, ‘No, he just wants a friend.’ So we went across the street and had a meal together. That’s like walking in somebody else’s shoes.” - Audrey
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What would we say to one another? How would we treat each other if we saw ourselves in the shoes of others? This is just a simple photo idea, and I hope to inspire people to see themselves in the shoes of others, contributing to a more kind world. A mile in my shoes.

I met Adrian in Calexico yesterday. I walked past him and circled back to ask him if I could take some pictures of him. ...
03/29/2024

I met Adrian in Calexico yesterday. I walked past him and circled back to ask him if I could take some pictures of him. Here is a little of what he shared with me. “My name is Adrian. I am 28 years old, and I sell produce here in the Imperial Valley; I also deliver to restaurants. If I could share something, I would say work; we don’t have any other way but to work to come out ahead.”

Some of my favorite photos I took of and that I never got around to sharing! Such beautiful people and family who exem...
03/27/2024

Some of my favorite photos I took of and that I never got around to sharing! Such beautiful people and family who exemplify what it means to walk and live in beauty!

“My name is Travis Jones, I’m 42 years old. I grew up in a strict Christian household with a Marine Corps father and a s...
02/22/2024

“My name is Travis Jones, I’m 42 years old. I grew up in a strict Christian household with a Marine Corps father and a stay-at-home mom. It was like that most of my life until high school; I started doing drugs, moved out, and my parents split up, and things got crazy. I was your average kid at the beginning, but then drugs took over, and I went to prison. Drugs and alcohol ruled my life. Thank God I got free from alcohol in the past couple of years. And things have been different. I’ve been out on the streets for about two years. It’s been a long two years. Before this, I was working with dogs, and I had a boss, and I lived on the property; I had an anger issue, and it caused me to lose my job. I still have an anger issue from time to time. The drinking went hand in hand, and I lost all my family and friends because of that. I just got sick of hurting everybody, and I just got okay with being homeless. The past two years have been the most growth, the most beautiful, and the hardest in my life. People think we don’t want more, that we’re just drug addicts. And not everybody’s, on the streets, is a drug addict or an alcoholic, you know. Some people are out there because of mental illness. Mental health is a big part. So, look out for your people who have mental health issues. Put away your prejudices. Put away your bias. Put away all your opinions and everything you think. Look at the person that’s inside. If there’s a person you see, a good person, talk to them for five seconds. You know, it’s not about judging anybody. Someone once told me, don’t steal another man’s shine.”
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If you have any kind words to share, please do and I will relay them to Travis. Thank you for being kind.

My name is Mary. This month, we’ve been on the streets for four years now. In 2020, we ended up in a situation where our...
02/16/2024

My name is Mary. This month, we’ve been on the streets for four years now. In 2020, we ended up in a situation where our landlords wanted to sell their property. So they ended up selling the property, and we couldn’t find anything to rent affordably. We stayed in a motel very briefly until it got too expensive. Currently, I live in my car. It’s not an easy life. It’s hard to get by day by day sometimes. One of my biggest fears was when we found out we were losing the house and couldn’t find anything; that’s one thing I kept saying: I don’t want to be homeless.

Honestly, the one thing I have the biggest issue with is restrooms; there are few places, and many places want you to pay for something to come in and use their restroom. It’s different being a woman in this predicament. We can’t just p*e anywhere. It’s really difficult, especially when no places are open. A lot of the challenge is finding a place to stay for the day, which usually consists of a park or somewhere where we can park where it is legal.

Don’t judge a book by its cover. Just because people live in their cars or on the streets, not everyone’s in the same predicament, and not everybody’s going through the same thing. Once you get that judgment aside, your heart will open up more. Smile at somebody and say hi; you don’t know what that person’s going through that day. That smile could be something between them hurting themselves or being depressed and could bring a smile to their face. There’s a lot of that lacking in this world right now. If you can handle homelessness, you can handle anything. It’s been hard, but I still try to keep a smile on my face no matter what. Once we are back up on our feet, I’d like to reach out and help people. And so, I’ve already started making lists of resources and trying to update them when I find updated information about where people can go.
We’re all human; we all need help. We all can support each other.
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If you have any kind words to share with Mary, please do; I will relay them to her when I see her next.

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Oceanside, CA
92049, 92051, 92052, 92054, 92056–92058

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