POVA IN THE NEWS: Social Enterprise Alliance - From the Streets to the Studio

Poverty & the Arts is a nonprofit social enterprise that provides opportunities for artists overcoming homelessness. Their studio and programs allow their artists to engage in creative outlets, develop entrepreneurial and professional skills, earn an income and build community relationships.

By: Lauren Dekleva

Poverty & the Arts began in 2011 in Nashville, TN, when founder Nicole Brandt – then a student at Belmont University – was assigned a job-planning service project. Brandt had been passionate about building relationships with people experiencing homelessness since high school. She knew the homeless community to be creative and resourceful, though victims of oppressive structures and systems. Through her project, she hoped to encourage the creativity of homeless individuals and create a space where people could genuinely get to know their homeless neighbors. Using art as the conduit for the community to see homeless individuals as equals, Brandt hosted the first Community Arts Day in November 2011, thus launching Poverty & the Arts.