Central City Hospitality House has served the community in San Francisco 's Tenderloin district since 1967. Hospitality House programs include two drop-in self help centers, a community arts program, and a shelter for homeless men. Combined, their programs use a holistic approach to enhancing the economic, mental, physical, and social health of the neighborhood. This is done through a wide spectrum of services that include housing and benefits advocacy, harm reduction-based substance use counseling, emergency shelter, money management support, creative expression, and employment services.

Isaac paid Central City's community arts program a visit and spoke with their program manager, Rick, here is what they talked about!

Could you tell me a little bit about how you got involved with this arts project?

Well, I had been on disability for a number of years for HIV and had gotten to a point where I couldn't live on that money- I was tired a lot, but not so tired that I couldn't work some. There was a job opening here at the art studio, they were looking for someone with an art background who could work with people, it was 20 hours a week, so it was perfect and it paid well and had full benefits. So I came down here, interviewed and I got hired in September 1999, I have been here 8 years.

Could you describe the philosophy of this studio as it pertains to harm reduction?

The whole agency is a peer based self help model that incorporates aspects of harm reduction. We are about people working together and experiences shared among peers. Self help is pretty obvious; you get the tools so you can do things yourself. You don't necessarily have to go through a case manager, you have a sense of independence, empowerment.

Harm reduction is so much deeper than people think. On the surface, harm reduction is basic stuff like, you come in fucked up- we will still work with you. Deeper into harm reduction, you truly work with people where they are at.  This is the most important thing, it is up to that person to say when they feel their treatment, their recovery, their process, their art- is complete, that's their decision and all we do is we help to facilitate that. We don't put any judgment on their choices, we don't pressure people to do things, we really believe in self determination.

How do you think art fits into that process?

We are not art therapy. No one here is a trained art therapist. We are a fine art studio like you would find at any university or community college. Our fine art studio is fully equipped, it is free, and it's drop in. Harm reduction programming has to be low threshold- meaning easy to access. So, to make art here, you just walk in the door, it couldn't be much easier. 

I have come here when I have felt awful and want to make a painting. I can come in here and get the supplies, make a painting and when it dries I can take it with me. 

Or you can take that painting and sell it for 2 bucks or you can swap it for a burrito. Here is something you have made that you can use to support yourself with in a wonderful way, it makes you feel good to create, you can make a gift for a friend. At Christmas time we put out a box full of stuff to make Xmas cards, even if you can just give a loved one a card... that says "I think about you! I love you!" it's really important.

Have you heard of motivational interviewing? It is the clinical practice of harm reduction; there are different stages to change...pre-contemplation, contemplation, action/change, maintenance, and relapse. That's the behavioral science behind harm reduction. You can look at any situation with that model of change. 

As an example, if someone is not doing well, if he is thinking "Damn, I am using too much drugs, I am using too much drugs!" That's pre-contemplation. Then he says, a few days later "Man, I am really thinking about cutting back on my drug use." Then we might start talking, "What would that look like for you?" With motivational interviewing, you ask a lot of open ended questions, questions that can't be answered with a 'yes' or a 'no', that basically help people get their thinking started.

That's really cool because it lets people know that they can come here and they can access the services that are available, but there is no pressure to do anything, it's all up to you, and it's an internal pressure. You come in here and face a blank page or a blank silk screen or canvas, it's from you. In a way that could be a model for how harm reduction works.

Yeah, a blank canvass is pre-contemplation. You start moving with it- imagining, that's contemplation. You are getting towards a finished work; you are in action/change. You got a canvas piece you want to sell, it's maintenance.

You can just show up here and make art; there is no big intake process. You can come here high as hell as long as you are not going to fuck with anyone, you can stay here. I think that gives someone who uses drugs a safe space and keeps it a safe space for people that don't use drugs. If you are a user, you start to realize that hey, I can be around people. And use and not use...because you are spending time doing something else-creating. So they may ask themselves, what is the real problem? Society's stigma? Maybe you don't have clean clothes? Maybe you don't smell great? And then you can say, what can I do about those things, those things I can start to work with. Maybe I can eat. Maybe I can take a shower. Little things like that start the process.

Do you think Jackson Pollock should have used harm reduction?

Listen, you can apply harm reduction to anything. It's a beautiful concept and for Jackson Pollock fuck yeah, he could have used some harm reduction! He could have used it with his relationship with his wife, he could have used it with his relationship with himself and others, and he couldn't have used it for his art and certainly with how he used substances. Harm reduction is great.

This place may not be for everyone, but if it's not for you we can help you find a place that might be for you. If you just want to come by and get a bite to eat or check the place out, cool. But the one thing is- is we are an art studio.... if you come here.... you have to make art.

It's not a drop in center.

No, that's the self help center around the corner. The Community Arts Program is one of three programs Hospitality House has. The shelter, which is the oldest shelter in the city, the self help center, and the art program. We just had our 40^th anniversary.

What other services do you have here? Why don't you give the hours and services?

We have case management here now, that's something new. We have a real good case manager. She is here Monday and Wednesday 3-5. Lori is really good, she is an ex sex worker, ex heroin addict, been through it and survived and came out stronger for it, and she is really really wonderful.

The art studio is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 1-6 and Tuesdays and Thursdays it's open from 10-3. 

Tuesdays from 3:30-5:30 there is a writing group workshop people can feel free to drop in, it's open to anybody.

Wednesday morning from 11-1 there is a free art technique workshop taught by Lynn , she is really great. If you want instruction you can come to Lynn 's class.

And then Thursday 4-6, this is the best part of the program, we have youth art, for young people ages 5 to 13 who are homeless or formerly homeless... it's amazing. Alyssa has worked at crossroads and Hamilton house and has a huge amount of experience with this community.  And you start to think...homeless kids. Kids that come from families where both parents are using, kids that come from a family with one parent and that parent uses, kids with no parents and grandpa uses and they are around that.  Kids have a hard time finding peer based experiences with other kids and that's the whole thing about having a place for people who are drug addicts and stuff, it's a peer experience to come together.

You guys are on the cutting edge it's really great.

Listen, it's all a team process here. It's a really great place. We are opening up a new place on 6^th street. We just got a contract from the city to open up a Hospitality House Drop In Center in October. It's gonna be located in the Alder hotel on 6^th .

How does one get a Hospitality House window exhibit application?

We have a whole system now, I know people are sick to death of lotteries, but unfortunately a lottery is the most fair way to do it. We have a lottery twice a year and divvy up the front windows for artist of the month and for the community window and we pull out of the hat- 6 people get the windows and 6 people are alternates, in case those people don't make it- which happens all the time. So really it is literally luck of the draw.

When is the next lottery?

January.

Great, well thank you very much for your time!

Thank you!

www.hospitalityhouse.org

Hospitality House takes great pride in its Community Arts Program. It is the only free-of-charge fine arts studio for homeless and poor artists in San Francisco . Each year, the Community Arts Program (CAP) offers more than 250 artists the materials and space necessary to create, house, exhibit, and sell their artwork. But more than the art that is made here, the CAP is a progressive and crucial component of the programs offered at Hospitality House because it helps relieve the intangible, private effects of poverty. For those navigating through the impersonal social service system, self-expression and imaginative talent can be stifled and ignored. The CAP exposes people to creative resources that would otherwise be unobtainable to them. These materials are the tools that provide an often-neglected outlet for creative freedom and, subsequently, they serve to enhance self-esteem and ambition.

The Community Arts Program is located at 146 Leavenworth , between Turk and Golden Gate Streets. Please see below for our activities and hours of operation.

Studio Space, Materials, and Instruction During studio hours, artists work in a variety of media, including painting, drawing, ceramics, and sculpture. Studio assistants are available for artistic instruction and project guidance. Additionally, they assist with other needs associated with homelessness and poverty, such as referrals for case management, shelter, counseling, and crisis intervention. When possible, food and drink are available.

Hours:
Monday, Wednesday & Friday  1-6 pm
Tuesday & Thursday 10 am - 3 pm

Weekly Visual Arts Class
This class offers instruction in a variety of media, supporting community artists to further develop their skills and learn new techniques. The work created by artists in this class is frequently exhibited in the studio gallery and other local venues.

Hours: Wednesday 11 am - 1 pm
Free

Weekly Creative Writing Workshops
Offered from September through June, these classes are led by a professional writer who teaches poetry, short story, memoir, and other forms of creative writing. Each year the group publishes an anthology and individual chapbooks.

Hours: Tuesdays 3:30 - 5:30pm Free

Youth Art Classes
In participation with Variety Children's Charity, the Community Arts Program offers art classes to neighborhood children ages 5 to 12 each week. Everyone is welcome!

Hours: Thursday 4:00 - 6:00 pm  Free

The Exhibition Program
Through the CAP's comprehensive exhibit schedule, projects are showcased at more than a dozen local galleries and auctions throughout the year, as well as at local businesses, the citywide Open Studios event, and our own studio/gallery. One of Hospitality House's most successful events is its own Annual Art Auction, which has taken place for the past 20 years to support our artists and fund the studio. Hospitality House artists receive full proceeds from the sale of their artwork unless they designate otherwise.

Greeting Cards
Since 1995, the CAP has produced and sold greeting cards designed by participant artists. Artists receive a commission on each of their cards that are sold, and are eligible for design awards. The remainder of the revenue funds the Community Arts Program.

Art supply resources

East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse (http://www.east-bay-depot.org/)
Promotes solid waste diversion and resource conservation by collecting and redistributing reusable materials for education, arts and crafts, and many other creative projects.6713 San Pablo Avenue
Oakland, California 94608
Phone: (510) 547-6470 
Fax: (510) 655-6536

(NP) Make-Stuff.com (www.make-stuff.com/)
Provides ideas for using everyday materials to create arts and crafts.

Scroungers' Center for Reusable Art Parts (SCRAP) (www.scrap-sf.org)
Serves as a conduit for unwanted materials by collecting from businesses and individuals materials that would otherwise be discarded, and distributing them to art and educational groups. See Profiles for more information. 

Physical Address:

801 Toland Street

(entrance on Newcomb)
San Francisco, California 94124
Phone: (415) 647-1746
Fax: (415) 647-1744
E-mail: scrap@scrap-sf.org