Why mobilizing artists is a key to ending homelessness

1. There are tens of millions of artists in America. They provide potential connection to every neighborhood, every block, every apartment building, school, jail, coffee shop, church, office, or factory in the country.
2. Homeless people are, legally, second class citizens, with restrictions on where they may sit, stand, or sleep and how many possessions they may own. This has led the majority of Americans not to be anti-homeless but to regard the homeless as second class citizens who only need homeless shelters to live in. People who are not equal cannot unite and without unity we cannot end the homeless crisis. Artists can overcome this with the inspiration they provide with their creations.
3. If artists link up across our cities and states, they have the collective vision and power to create a nationwide debate over how to end homelessness, not manage it. Meaningful change only comes about when new ideas are introduced.
4. There are hundreds of thousands of homeless artists in the United States.