“Voices Of The Voiceless” Mural Is Finished and Now The Specialness Begins… Why is Heidi Doing This?

by addogsunleashed, posted in Uncategorized
“Voices of the Voiceless,” the new mural by Heidi Hansen to raise micro-grants to put homeless, mentally ill women into their own small businesses. It is 6′ x 5,’ acrylic and pastel on a light linen cloth. The painting can be displayed wrapped around it’s hard back, or with all edges extended, — all along the 4 edges are the voices and thoughts of homeless persons I have met along Main Street and 25th in downtown Vancouver, Washington.

Why? To raise micro-grant ”seed money” for homeless, mentally ill women to start their own small businesses.

Work means power. Money is power. Women and persons of mental health problems are marginalized from regular society enough as it is without the exclusion, isolation and de-humanization of homelessness, but there it is. The disabled population and women are the fastest growing demographic making up the homeless in Washington and Oregon.

And so, in my own micro-way, I’ve painted this mural to raise micro-grants so women of homeless and mental health problems can get some power and self-esteem in society and re-create their identity in a manner of their choice.

Truth is, this was an especially difficult mural to do. It was hard to get through all the sensitive and shaming, painful feelings in me as I am still fresh out of homelessness. I know the helplessness, the degredation, the unfairness of being abandoned to life on the street due to bully actions by people more powerful than I.

The cause of my homelessness was a matter of social injustice. The experience was a sink-hole of dis-empowerment and fatiguing, deadening validation of my low self-esteem.

It doesn’t take a lot of time being in the homeless class that the experience changes from being a life stressor to a new sort of identity. This might be the most dangerous of all the side-effects of homelessness: Taking it on as a self-identity.

This new sense of self as a throw-away or being invisible or not worthy of what regular people can do, and have, plus the constant survival drive and helplessness makes homelessness a personal definition — it’s “who we are, it’s what we do,” and that becomes a downward spiral which chronic isolation from regular society and survival anxiety reaffirms. Persons in that state don’t need to ”accept it” — they need a set of financial and social jumper cables to re-start their energy and change their self-identity from marginalized and vulnerable to business owner and social equal.

Part of changing one’s identity is to be around people who are what you want to be more like. For homeless women to be financially powerful means they need to be around successful business people. For mentally ill people to get well, they need to be around mentally healthy people.

These are all the things I experienced while being homeless, and they were hard for me to confront as I painted. I even tried to self-sabotage myself from completing the painting. As I become more visible as I market this mural as a fund-raiser, the shame and fear of people who will judge me and judge me erroneously is difficult to face.

But it will help me grow, help others grow, and create a more meaningful life, So I will do. This is part of The Trauma Project.

The Trauma Project is a free mental health education service to help persons of trauma get the mastery and acumen that puts them back in the driver’s seat.

Here’s the nuts and bolts — this auction’s bidding begins at $600.00. The funds will go to create micro-grants for homeless, mentally ill women to start up their own small businesses. There will be an application and selection process for these grants.

..the only thing worse than this is the chilling phrase, ”no dogs allowed.”

I’ll need volunteer business coaches, mental health counselors and homelessness workers to help select, educate and coach the recipients of these micro-grants to understand and start, maintain their own small businesses and prevent relapsing into problems that will undermine their goals.

..there are many kinds of disabilities…what we don’t know we tend to fear. But there is also in that a wonderful opportunity to educate ourselves and stretch our hearts and minds.
..bordering the main painting along all four edges are some of the voices and thoughts of this invisible population.
..there is a Starbuck’s coffee shop on the corner of 25th and Main Street that is so very embracing and supportive and they open their restrooms freely to all. A big shout-out to them, — please give this Starbucks your consumership.

So, if you are tired of seeing and tripping over homeless people — or if you feel the empathy for this most difficult combination of brokenness — then let’s get together and hammer out some solutions using ”Voices of the Voiceless” as a money – raiser to do it.

…the linen canvas can be unwrapped and stretched to become full-size – 5′ x 6′ — and bordered, or have a matted effect, by the voices and thoughts of our neighbors who live outdoors.

I’ll be waiting for your emails and phone calls to either make a seed money donation of the size you choose, and for business coaching volunteers to help select grant recipients and volunteer business coaches to help them use their ”seed money” to start and maintain a small business they can operate from the street, shelters, public spaces, etc.

Email me at dog.hotel.hansen@gmail.com, or call me at 360-635-3373. I’ll be looking for your contact. Financial donations can be made at this cash app site: cash.app/$doghotel2018 Thanks so very much. — Heidi Hansen

My life is an example of how anyone can become homeless — it happens for reasons not easily seen. I am a trauma specialist and retired child and family therapist. I have worked all my life and have 2 successful small businesses. I also have a disability and have been homeless. I lost a son to a domestic violence situation. I survived leukemia and injury while I was homeless. I have been and am a successful therapist, artist, writer and mother — and I have been homeless. Let’s not judge, let’s learn.
“Voices of the Voiceless,” the 6′ 5′ mural by Heidi Hansen to raise funds for micro-grants to put homeless women into their own small businesses. Acrylic and pastel on linen. Thanks for your support…Looking forward to hearing from you.
..did you find this dog in the mural? This is my service dog Maile Lei, who saved the day for me many times and gave a lot of cold, alienated persons love and joy. Thanks, good pup.

Leave a comment