The seven year-old Street Life Gallery is a working art gallery run by homeless people. Artists can work on and display their art both on a daily basis and through exhibitions, shows, and publications. Artists also help each other and offer workshops in the community. Materials are mostly donated. The Gallery, a project of the Archdiocesan Housing Authority, is currently in the process of constructing a governing board.
Homeless artists elect officers, monitor the gallery, and make all decisions themselves.
StreetWrites is a workshop of homeless and low-income writers. Computers and other desktop publishing resources are available, with instruction as needed, and an extensive library. The group does performances at local poetry venues and arts festivals and hosts a monthly open mic. We also have an extensive website. StreetWrites was started in 1995 by one of the then-homeless editors of Real Change, Anitra Freeman, as a way of helping homeless writers improve their skills by peer support.