HOUSTON – According to a new poll by Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston, 30 percent of likely voters say homelessness is one of the three most important problems facing Houston.
The city has plans to paint a new perspective with a large scale mural project.
According to the Coalition for the Homeless annual point and time count, 2,989 people were experiencing homelessness in January 2023 in Harris County.
“It’s a complex issue,” Theresa Escobedo said.
She wants to paint past the statistics.
“This is an issue that art should address,” she said.
Escobedo is the civic art public manager for the city.
“We have a philosophy that the artwork we install in our neighborhoods should be responsive to the communities in those places,” she said.
Including those unhoused or living in a shelter.
“Representation is key,” Escobedo said.
Leading to the city winning Bloomberg’s $1 million national public art challenge. The project will depict stories of the unhoused.
“This is very much a visual storytelling project meant to humanize the expansion of those experiencing homelessness, but it also an opportunity to employ people who are homeless,” she said.
Escobedo says they are working with the Coalition for the Homeless and non-profit Career Recovery Resources to provide people experiencing homelessness job opportunities.
“They’ll help us buff walls before murals are painted,” she said. “They’ll help us maintain the artwork.”
We asked Escobedo what art means to her.
“I think that this tells me where I am,” she said. “This is the Gulf Coast Prairie in Houston. It speaks to the native atmosphere of what this place has been.”
There are more stories to come.
“To me the storytelling is always the real energy of a piece,” Escobedo said.
The city is partnering with Fresh Arts for an open call for muralists and artists looking to work on the project.