AKRON, Ohio — According to The National Alliance to End Homelessness, it’s estimated that nearly 600,000 people in the United States are experiencing homelessness on any given night. 

About 34% of that number are living in a place not meant for human habitation, such as on a street or in an abandoned building. 

Joshua Fitzgerald is a photographer based out of the Akron-area and he is working to bring awareness to this growing issue through art. 

"It started out as a photo journalism project to help one of my friends out,” Fitzgerald said. "Then it became like a personal thing.” 

Fitzgerald is documenting the lives of people who are homeless in Akron through photographs.

“Doing that has changed me more than it's changed anyone else," he said. 

He calls the photo project the '34th Percent' in homage to the 34% of homeless people who are living in places not meant for human habitation. 

"The 34% that live under bridges, near stagnant water, out in the woods, on the streets," he listed. "That is who I go to take photos of.” 

Fitzgerald does more than just take their pictures — he also provides them with necessities. 

He has partnered with the organization Friends in Tents to help people experiencing homelessness in Akron. 

"Our whole purpose is just to keep these people alive and to give them comfort, so we just go with food provisions and love,” Fitzgerald said. "One-hundred percent of the money that comes in from the 34th Percent project goes to Friends in Tents and that money purchases food.” 

He hopes that by showcasing the conditions these people live in, he can raise awareness about homelessness. 

“I just want to use this exhibit as a sounding board for the fact that these are people and they need help," he said. "They deserve love and they deserve food and they deserve shelter.” 

The exhibit may be viewed in person at FreeFall Studios in Cuyahoga Falls until July 20.