MEDIA ADVISORY
August 3, 2021
MARTA SHOWCASES CREATIVE
EFFORT TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS
“Street to Home” Project
by Atlanta Artist & Social Worker to be Installed at Five Points Station
ATLANTA – The
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) public art program
Artbound announces a unique project at Five Points station highlighting the
images of people experiencing homelessness and the outreach program the agency
launched to assist them since the advent of COVID-19.
The “Street to
Home” installation will display stirring portraits created by Atlanta-based
artist and social worker Franco Bejarano. During the last several months,
Bejarano captured images of people taking refuge on trains and in rail stations
interacting with case managers with a program called MARTA HOPE (Homeless
Outreach and Proactive Engagement) – a humane and tactical approach to an
intractable problem.
The program is the
result of a yearlong partnership with HOPE Atlanta, a prominent, non-profit
organization that conducts direct outreach to people who are unsheltered and
connects them to housing, social services, substance abuse counseling, and
employment.
MARTA HOPE pairs
experienced HOPE Atlanta case managers with trained Field Protective
Specialists (FPS) who work under the auspices of the MARTA Police Department.
Since the program began in August 2020, the outreach teams have actively
engaged more than 2,100 unsheltered individuals.
The artwork was
funded by the Kresge Foundation and supported by Forecast Public Art and Smart
Growth America (SGA), an organization that advocates for sustainable
transportation and livable communities. Working through Artbound, MARTA was a
recipient of SGA’s Arts &
Transportation Rapid Response grant for transportation agencies looking to
creatively and quickly address pandemic-related transportation challenges.
Artbound will host
a community event to celebrate the project on Thursday, August 5 from 11 a.m.
until noon, on the south side of Five Points Station at the concourse level.
| WHAT: | “Street to Home” Project Launch
Featuring music from Artbound LIVE musician & homeless outreach worker Tracy Woodard.
|
| WHEN: | Thursday, August 5
11 a.m. – noon
|
| WHERE: | Five Points Station
Concourse level on south side |
| WHO: | MARTA General Manager & CEO Jeffrey Parker
HOPE Atlanta Executive Director Jeff Smythe
Artist and Social Worker Franco Bejarano |
To learn more about the MARTA HOPE Program, click here.
The MARTA HOPE team office is at Five Points Station near the
Peachtree Street entrance. They can be reached by email at martahope@itsmarta.com or by phone at 404-848-5309 or
404-848-6300.