New public art project breaks ground geared towards Houston's efforts to combat homelessness

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Mayor John Whitmire has made bold statements before. Including when he said he wants to make Houston the first major city in the U.S. to end street homelessness.

Now, a new collaboration between the city, Hue:Man Shelter, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Career and Recovery Resources (CRR) is turning that vision into action with the help of public art.

Six new art installations will appear throughout Houston by the end of July. Each one will be created by or with the help of individuals currently experiencing homelessness. The project, believed to be the first in the country, aims to beautify the city, challenge perceptions of homelessness, and provide participants with valuable job skills.

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The artwork will be displayed at METRO bus shelters in Midtown, blending creativity with purpose. Some installations will feature large-scale physical pieces, while others will showcase digital art. The effort is part of CRR's UpRise Enterprise program, which supports people without stable housing as they work toward self-sufficiency.

Each artist will collaborate with 40 unhoused Houstonians chosen by CRR. As they help produce the installations, participants gain real-world experience in areas like time management, project planning, site preparation, and upkeep.

"The artwork is going to feature what their life was," Nkechi Agwuenu of Career and Recovery Resources said. "It's showing everyone that this can be anybody. Life turns in any way, and they're working really hard to make changes in their lives through our UpRise program. These are individuals who had no hope or opportunity to gain stability. Through the program and this collaboration, they're finding hope."

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The project is made possible by a $1 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies.

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