How Other Side is sharing the stories of those fighting addiction in Miami
On any given night, you may see Eric Bridges and Amanda Gomez in the parts of Miami that are far from glamorous.
When they're not working their 9-5 jobs, they're on the streets, helping those struggling with addiction and homelessness and documenting their stories.
"This demographic of people, I can relate to them, you know, I can relate to them in a lot of ways. Personally, and people who have been close to me have been affected by addiction," said Bridges.
Bridges started his otherside305 Instagram page in 2020, when he went out one day and documented a day in the life of a woman struggling with addiction.
From that moment, the page became his passion project.
"It was a very powerful experience, and it touched me, and it motivated me to keep meeting people and try to make a difference," said Bridges.
Gomez, a friend of Bridge's, heard about what he was doing and wanted to help.
Gomez wanted to utilize her love of photography to capture the portraits of the people sharing their stories.
"I just want people to see that there's beauty in everyone, and it's really cool meeting people where they're at and getting to hear their story and see who they really are behind the outside surface," said Gomez.
They both say it's an honor and a privilege to tell the stories of those on the other side of the 305, like Trish, who says she's been homeless for decades.
"I mean, everything about this is miserable; there is nothing that I could think of, a worse life than the life I am living," said Trish.
Trish says she's disabled and addicted to fentanyl, living in the streets of Overtown.
She says while most people will walk right by her, Bridges and Gomez meet her where she's at.
"These are people with their own lives, their own careers, you know, their families, and they come out of their world and come into this not so great one, and there's more than myself that they do it for," said Trish.
As otherside305 continues growing online, Bridges says his latest project is his non-profit, The Bridge Foundation, that will help people who are struggling get out of their current situation, providing them with much-needed financial support.
"When people watch the videos on my account, I want them to see their personalities behind the addiction, to see how relatable they really are — I want to bring understanding to addiction," said Bridges.
Bridges and Gomez say they do not make any money from this page; they're doing this with their own time and resources.
To find out how you can get involved or donate to The Bridge Foundation, visit their website.