Arts program at Santa Ana homeless shelter would give residents a missing voice
If art truly is healing, what better place to introduce music, creative writing, drawing and other creative expressions than a homeless shelter?
That’s the thinking behind Santa Ana’s plan to launch an arts program for people staying at its 200-bed homeless shelter, The Link.
“Art is a platform of healing and expression,” said Hafsa Kaka, homeless services manager for Santa Ana. “This is a way that a homeless individual can express and cope with many of the things they are battling on a daily basis.”
Expand
And as much as creating art might help homeless people express themselves, it also could help others see the homeless population in a different light. In a recent press release, the city pitched the multi-disciplinary “HeART LINK” program — slated to launch this summer — as a way to help “alleviate misunderstandings about the homeless population.”
Through art, the thinking goes, the broader community might be reminded of the humanity of fellow citizens whose degraded lives are often seen as blight or a threat.
“People often forget (the homeless) are human beings,” said Tram Le, arts and culture specialist in the Santa Ana Community Development Agency.
“They themselves forget that when they have been out on the streets for so long,” Le added. “They need to be able to tell their stories, express themselves, and be in contact with other people from the community.”
Santa Ana administrators believe the six-month pilot program would be the first formal, multi-disciplinary arts curriculum at a publicly-funded homeless shelter in Orange County.
Residents at The Link, a temporary shelter that opened in November, include single men and women, couples, and families with children. As of last week,166 people were staying in the shelter, according to the city’s homeless shelter data dashboard.
Santa Ana opened The Link, which is inside a converted industrial building on Red Hill Avenue, in the midst of an ongoing civil rights lawsuit. In recent months, several homeless shelters have opened in north and central Orange County in response to that lawsuit.
On Tuesday, April 2, representatives of five south Orange County cities named in a related lawsuit are set for their own federal court appearance, legal action that could ultimately result in new shelter beds being added in Irvine, Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano or elsewhere in the region.
Shelter operators throughout the county recently have worked to make their dormitory-style facilities more humane. At The Link, for example, the walls are adorned with massive murals depicting images and messages of hope and encouragement.
Other shelters also have worked to humanize the decor and incorporate some craft activities.
With HeART LINK, Santa Ana is looking to get regular, structured participation. The goal is to help people reclaim their dignity and eventually get off the streets.
The city’s ad seeking an artist to lead the program calls for “high-quality, hands-on weekly art workshops suitable for all ages and abilities.” But the sessions would be geared toward short-term participation, with the knowledge that “residents may rotate out of the facility,” meaning participants can be placed in supportive housing, reunited with family, or leave under other circumstances.
The city is seeking applications from artists and arts organizations from a variety of disciplines — including film and dance — by a deadline of April 12.
The Santa Ana Arts and Culture Commission will review proposals in May. The pilot program is planned to run from June to November, at a cost of $6,500. After an initial evaluation, the program could be extended another six months.
Applications and more information on HeART LINK can be accessed online at santa-ana.org/cd/arts-culture-office. Questions regarding the application must be sent in writing to Santa Ana administrative aide Gabriela Cramer at gcramer@santa-ana.org.