Art therapy at St. Francis House helps homeless guests express themselves
BOSTON - The art room at St. Francis House in downtown Boston is making a difference for people experiencing homelessness by giving them a safe space to take a break and create.
Art therapist Gurleen Anand told WBZ-TV the therapy is a healing process.
"There are a couple of guests who don't want to talk but you give them a paper and a pencil and they come up with amazing things and then after that, when they're doing the art work, the conversation starts," Anand said.
"I could be going through something... but drawing is a way that I have calmed myself down," Moses, a guest at St. Francis, told WBZ.
Anand's expressive art therapy room provides a creative outlet for people experiencing homelessness to convey what they're going through.
"She has a lot of patience with us that's why I sometimes call her mother dearest," Moses said of Anand.
She's an art therapist who joined the team during the pandemic. Many of the people who utilize her studio feel a connection with her as she creates a welcoming environment.
"When they come and talk to me it's like, "I haven't talked to my mom for so long, it felt like talking to you is like talking to my mom,'" Anand said.
Aodeji has been coming to the studio for two years. He's deaf and an incredible painter.
"I feel comfortable. I cannot stop. I have big dreams to draw," he told us through an ASL translator.
Aodeji was proud to show us the work he's done. "God and his heart, that's why he comes here," his translator told WBZ.
"This is a kind of a place where somethmes they don't even know they're getting some kind of help," Gurleen explained.
Outside of St. Francis House they display some of the artwork from guests and soon you'll be able to see it at Boston City Hall where they're planning a collaboration art exhibit.