“When my mother died, I lost everything, I lost my house because I couldn’t afford to pay the rent, and I was living life between a hostel bed and the streets for almost five years. Arte sin Techo changed my life around,” explains 33–year-old Israel Silveria.
Established in 2003 and run by president Felicitas Luisi and secretary Gabriel Sodikman, Arte sin techo, (translated literally as ‘art without roof’) is a non- profit organisation which helps those who are homeless to regain shelter, as well as a healthy mind in order to transport them into a new and productive lifestyle.
Felicitas, who previously worked for the government of the city of Buenos Aires, said that she left her position to help Arte sin Techo because she wanted to make a change which she felt the government was not encouraging.
“Me and my team are strongly dedicated to changing the lives of homeless people and Arte sin Techo is the route to modifying some of their habits for the better.”
Providing housing solutions for those that come for help can be a very lengthy process, and sometimes one that is only temporary. However, Arte sin Techo strives to offer more then just a roof but rather a complete long-term change, getting participants back into the system. In order to give this to their hopefuls they have implemented a series of additional methods, which provide routine and a means of doing something constructive with their time.
Most people that seek the aid of Arte sin Techo spend almost a year undertaking what is called a ‘rehabilitation period.’ During this time they liaise with staff working on projects such as carpentry, painting, creating murals or developing their IT skills. The idea is to take away boredom and get their creative juices flowing, therefore upon their departure not only will they have some form of shelter, but also a recognised skill which can be used as a key to find work and live a sustainable lifestyle.
Members also participate in regular psychotherapy sessions designed to alleviate any negative implications of living on the streets that may have damaged their mind state.
“We want to change the way people on the streets view the world, erase their resentment, give them a positive mind state and make them start taking responsibility for their lives,” stresses Felicitas.
The workshops
This ‘routine’ – the main focal point of Arte sin Techo – is achieved during the workshops. The organisers are very stringent about implementing a set schedule into the lives of the homeless “to avoid them simply wasting their lives away,” says Gabriel. They initiate a strict 9am start each weekday to get participants working intensely on their chosen projects.
“For me this was a great opportunity to learn new things, the workshops allowed me to invest in something that I was interested in, they kept me busy and gave me something enjoyable to do,” says Israel, who tested the organisation as a simple recommendation by a friend, and consequently used it as a tool to change his life around.
“Not only do the workshops act as a mechanism for biding time and doing something useful, but they also help with networking and building bridges between different people, allowing them to interact positively with others in similar situations,” says Gabriel.
Through repeated emphasis on the idea of giving those on the street something constructive to do with their time, one might begin to question whether many homeless people are just lazy, and that they often do nothing useful as a person.
But Israel helps to drain out those thoughts by explaining, “It’s not about being lazy I tried for months to find work but couldn’t find anything. Arte sin Techo, however gave me the spirit to fight which you can lose when you’re on the streets. It gave me my hope back, to fulfil myself, and feel comfortable as a person to regain trust in life, and that it was worth living again.”
“The idea of giving and charity is avoided,” Gabriel states, “this will only aggravate symptoms; we’re demanding and don’t let people coast along, not to say that they’re lazy, but often most people are hopeless and in that mind frame of ‘what’s the point?’ What we do therefore is treat them like equals and make them work, which is considered the ‘norm’ in society.”
Felicitas added quite honestly, that in fact “some people are lazy, but all in all, the majority of people have many psychological problems, no one ever has an easy solution to their issues and this can lead to them hesitating on where to start, what we do therefore is give them that push.
“In fact all the activities we do here, although they are very important, in reality they are excuses to analyse the behaviour of people to figure out what needs attention!”
Arte Therapy – the support behind the project
National statistics state that over 1,000 people are homeless in Buenos Aires, and found to be squatting on all corners of the city. “When any one of these thousand people come to us, we know they have many deep and emotional issues,” says Gabriel.
Therefore the workers of Arte sin Techo believe that providing housing is one solution, and a great one too, but moreover, a factor that is equally important but often ignored is the psychological aspect that holds people back. “It is people’s negative thoughts, that stop them from reaching their full potential,” Felicitas says boldly, “[and] we try and erase them.”
The organisation provides group sessions which gives members the chance to speak about any issues they have, the most common discussion topics are about certain addictions that may have evolved. Talks therefore include various ways to stop drug and alcohol abuse, two of the key factors which prevent people from succeeding to a productive life style.
“Talks on other more deeper and personal issues are unravelled with me on a one to one session,” explains Gabriel, who is also a professional psychologist who dedicates his expertise towards improving the mentality of those who come to the organisation.
“I want to take, not give,” he continues. “Take fear away, take the mistrust away, and take the misery away!”
Pleased with their progress so far, Arte sin Techo prides itself on a 62% success rate which reflects the number of people who benefit from using the organisation as a ‘ticket back to life’. They transform from being miserable and on the streets, to productive respected members of society. “Many of them simply reunite with their families, find happiness through love, have work, have a home, and leave rehabilitated,” says Gabriel proudly.
“Now with what I can do, I can afford to pay the rent, I can eat, and am on a road to recovery,” says Israel. He spends his Fridays working at Arte sin Techo to help others who are in the same position as he once was, and spends his weekdays distributing flyers, which is enough to give him a life ‘with’ roof and food.
Funding and Support
The government of the city of Buenos Aires, although often criticised for its lack of intervention, has made great progress with Arte sin Techo. As well as providing small subsidies to actually fund the programme, they also aid with publicity to point people in the right direction and making them aware of what help is available. When people go to shelters in hope of spending time away from a rough night on the streets, the government then inform them of Arte sin Techo and how this organisation can help them fully turn around their life and provide a solution which involves long term stability.
“It’s taken five years, but we’re finally starting to work along side the government; it is their obligation after all, to provide help. The problem is they don’t often know how to deal with the homeless, and so working with us means we can provide our expertise, and they can provide their funding to make the project more successful,” says Felicitas, who is happy with this new relationship that has formed.
Therefore through donations from the public, and selling the works of art that the homeless create, Arte sin Techo has been able to sustain the project until now but has even greater support to extend any plans which will further help people on the streets.
Throughout the week the art is put on display for people to simply enjoy it, or purchase anything they take a liking to. And then each Friday, a fundraiser consists of a variety of performances throughout the night, from theatre acts to people singing and dancing on stage. Felicitas explained that the aim is to get people to eat, drink and spend and enjoyable night at the Arte sin Techo base in Almagro. Therefore when people are inclined to make a donation afterwards, the idea is to make it seem less charitable and more like money well spent.
When I asked two members in the audience what they thought of the performance on a Friday night, the pair from the US responded: “We haven’t seen anything like this, it’s really magical. We were more then happy to spend our money here tonight, knowing that we have had a great time, and are also contributing to a good cause. Even if we didn’t actually buy a painting or work of art, simply enjoying a glass of wine, eating a great meal, and watching great talent meant that we helped the homeless in our own special way!”
“All we want to do is help”, says Gabriel, “but we can’t do it without support from other people. We have already changed the lives of so many people and will continue to do so. I think I can speak on behalf of everyone when I say it’s what we enjoy doing and it’s what we’re good at!”
For further information on Arte sin Techo either visit the website on www.artesintecho.org.ar or call directly to reception for any enquires on 4982 2436