Dear Friends of A Safe Haven,
Over the years, I have had the pleasure of highlighting the incredible talent of some of ASHF’s most creative artists experiencing homelessness. Their moving stories remind us that there are incredibly talented people born with a gift for music and the arts that are today living in social and economic crisis.
Many of us living in big cities are familiar with street musicians and artists performing on street corners, subways, airports and anywhere they can find to earn money a quarter or a dollar at a time. Did you ever wonder where they live and where they go when the streets are empty and the show is over? At A Safe Haven, we are proud to have served as a significant resource to many homeless artists throughout the years.
Art, be it spoken word, acting, music, painting, etc., has been used as a tool to connect people and a valued outlet for personal expression. Art helps us to express the power of human emotions and has a way of making the human experience relatable and accessible.
At ASHF we make art a part of the healing process. Residents have the opportunity to practice their craft and showcase their gifts by practicing their writing or speaking in A Safe Haven’s educational program, or through art therapy in the behavioral health clinic. They also have the opportunity to participate and perform in on-site activities like poetry jams, talent shows, holiday events, and in offsite activities like our Music Revolution To End Homelessness or our 5k RUN! To End Homelessness. It is always exciting to see and hear our residents perform. My eyes well up with tears when I see that so many of them could definitely rival the talent on some of my guilty pleasure shows like The Voice, American Idol or America’s Got Talent.
Unfortunately, at A Safe Haven we see that for too many artists we serve, the realities of basic unmet social and economic needs do not allow them to express themselves artistically. For those who do experience a taste of early success, we also notice that one of the downsides is that they are too often impacted by issues such as substance abuse to continue their art. Too many artists disproportionately tend to be forced into poverty and homelessness.
We all know that when it comes to monetizing lofty dreams of stardom, whether in sports or the arts, the reality is that the opportunities to achieve financial success in these careers are extremely rare and highly competitive. Given the staggering facts, most people drawn to the arts must find mainstream employment in order to support themselves while they continue to pursue their passion in the arts as a career, as they find satisfaction in sharing their gifts as a hobby, or even as a way to earn extra income.
ASHF makes life and job skills training and financial literacy an integral part of the employment process. We encourage all ASHF residents to pursue their passions, and they understand intimately that pursuing a dream without a plan to support themselves along the way leads too many to a life of financial insecurity, and in the worst cases, homelessness. ASHF’s job developers work with clients to assess their unique talents and interests, yet as we do strive to match their artistic talents with career training opportunities, we also work with them to explore a wide range of reasonable options that will allow them to earn a living wage.
Today the philanthropic community has been heavily committed to investing in the arts. In fact, Americans’ donations to arts and culture rose 9.2% to $17.23 billion in 2014, the highest increase in nine categories tracked by Giving USA, an annual report on charitable contributions.
A Safe Haven is proud of the work we do with our creative populations, of our ability to help them believe in themselves again, and in our ability to help them earn an income to support themselves and their families. I welcome ideas on how we may engage the philanthropic community to consider supporting ways in which we can work together to help support holistic and comprehensive systems to transform the lives of our talented and gifted artists, and to meet the needs of those that have fallen victim to homelessness. Too many artists have way too often been forced to abandon their dreams and live on the streets due to their dreams of fame having gone unfulfilled. As too many homeless artists live at A Safe Haven and dedicated funding for their specialized needs is scarce, more support is needed. You can help.
Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support and for helping us raise awareness and for helping to make dreams of independence come true!
Neli Vazquez Rowland
President and Co-Founder of
A Safe Haven Foundation
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