Street to Street is an extraordinary 400-piece sculptural installation giving voice to people with a Lived Experience of housing insecurity and homelessness through the art making process.  

The project was the culmination of Shelter WA’s first artist-in-residence program, featuring contemporary multidisciplinary artist Deborah Ralph Kafarela, an established artist who has also worked across a number of emergency relief services over the past five years. Over her 16-week residency, Ms Ralph-Kafarela engaged 89 people with lived experience of homelessness through workshops held at St. Patrick’s Community Support Centre, Ruah Community Services and Uniting WA’s Tranby Centre. The 89 ‘co-artists’, half of whom were First Nations, were involved worked on the design of prefabricated wooden houses. 

The launch of the 400-piece sculptural installation exhibition at Artsource, Fremantle, was a significant moment for participants and coordinators. Support workers who also attended the workshops said that the project brought a sense of calm to the participants, which helped to encourage increased access to support services available to them.