25 Jul This isn’t just art…It’s our reality.
Dear Friend,
A disturbing picture
A grandmother sleeping in the street. An exhausted mother cradling her young daughter. A baby sleeping in a box. These are the images we’ve placed on 20 high-traffic downtown sidewalks. Maybe you’ve seen them in the news. Better yet, maybe you stumbled over them on your walk to the office. Did you stop for a minute and take notice?
It’s hard to just walk by isn’t it? That’s the point. As a city, collectively, we must come to terms with the tragedy of homelessness in our own backyard…especially that among women and children.
A harsh reality
These images are causing a stir downtown, and IndyStar was just one of many media outlets to take notice. You can read their report on why we launched this guerilla art campaign here.
Our Center for Women & Children in Indianapolis is filled well beyond capacity, with nowhere near enough beds for the women and children who desperately need them. All year long, our gym is filled with women and children – from babies to grandmothers – sleeping on cots on our floor. To make room and more than double our capacity, we’ve launched a campaign to fund an expanded Center for Women & Children.
Don’t pass by
When you first saw these images, what was your reaction? Were you disturbed? Upset? Did you stop? That’s the point. Seeing life-size images of women and children sleeping in the street should jar our emotions and spur us to action. Because this is real life. Friends, lean into the discomfort, process what’s happening in our city, and take action.
When confronted with the harsh, offensive reality of homelessness, the problem is seemingly bigger and harder than any one of us can solve on our own. But together, we can revitalize our city. We can make room. We can build for change.
Will you join us?
Working for hope and change,
Rick Alvis
President/CEO