By Julia Sewing
After long hours of preparation, the members of Hearing the Homeless sighed with relief when the art installation was finally ready for its debut.
Hearing the Homeless, a local nonprofit, works toward ending the misconceptions of homelessness through positive human connection and authentic relationships.
Kipp Bennett-Chew, associate director and photographer for Hearing the Homeless, said the event went better than originally expected.
“We tried to build credibility within the community,” Bennett-Chew said. “We probably had about 1,200 people show up.”
Kevin Price, executive director and founder of Hearing the Homeless, worked diligently to set up the debut of his nonprofit during February’s First Friday Art Trail at LHUCA Ice House.
Price said he collected various murals he had created over the years in an effort to set up an interactive event for the community to start recognizing the organization’s name.
He said the murals, along with small canvases made by elementary students, covered the walls during the event allowed guests the opportunity to admire the various pieces, drawing them in for discussion.
Price also explained that in addition to having art on display, the organization offered a make-your-own art station where people could make a piece of art and then leave with art created by someone else.
Director of Operations Hannah Wilhite thought of this event as a pilot test for how Lubbock would react to the organization’s efforts.
“The idea was to let people know what we are doing and get the name out there,” Wilhite said, “and have people donate to the Patreon.”
Price explained that Hearing the Homeless uses Patreon, an online subscription based website, as their main mode of collecting donations, and introduced this for the first time at the art installation.
Bennett-Chew gave some insight on why this nonprofit means so much to him.
“We need empathy for those who look or act different than us,” Bennett-Chew said. “We can’t comprehend how debilitating and dehumanizing it would be to be isolated like that.”
Bennett-Chew said the current main goal for Hearing the Homeless is to humanize homelessness in order to raise awareness.
“If your only interaction is dropping of a bag of food and running away, that isn’t a positive human connection,” Bennett-Chew said.
Following the event, Wilhite explained that she is excited about the future with Hearing the Homeless.
“There is a stigma against homeless people,” Wilhite said, “and we are excited to help break it.”
For more information on how to get involved, visit the organization’s website at https://www.hearingthehomeless.org.
About JOUR 3312
