Natural light poured into an art room full of paint, easels, brushes and more.

It looked like a cheery, well-stocked classroom.

But the artists in this room are not children at a school.

Instead, they are adults who are coping with homelessness. They’re finding solace and healing through art classes at The Gathering Place, a Denver nonprofit that serves women, children and gender-diverse people who are experiencing homelessness or housing instability.

The art classes are part of a broad spectrum of wellness programs at The Gathering Place, a UCHealth community partner and grant recipient. Along with health and wellness programs, staff members and volunteers at The Gathering Place offer one-stop, low-barrier access to food, financial help and housing support.

Some of the artists in this class are living in women’s shelters or in their cars. Many have experienced trauma, violence and health problems throughout their lives.

For people who are experiencing health challenges and homelessness, creativity offers a respite from tough times

Hillery, 53, suffered a traumatic brain injury that makes day-to-day tasks challenging.

She’s a talented artist who uses the name Persephone on her paintings. It’s a fitting name since Persephone was the Greek goddess of spring and rebirth.

Hillery finds refuge at The Gathering Place five days a week, and she comes alive during art classes.

On a recent spring day, Hillery shared one of her paintings.

“This is a color interpretation of an Ansel Adams piece,” she said, sounding like an art professor rather than a student.

That’s not surprising since both her grandfather and her mother were artists. Hillery grew up in Colorado Springs and was a precocious student. She started taking college classes at age 16 and earned a bachelor’s degree, then a master’s in early childhood education. She also loved studying dance. Initially, Hillery steered clear of painting since she felt like she couldn’t live up to her relatives’ talents.

But these days, the opportunity to be creative fills her soul.

Spending time painting is an especially big relief because the rest of Hillery’s life is so hard.

She’s open about her health challenges.

“I have a history of depression,” she said. “Yoga and meditation help me.”

Hillery has lost contact with most family members. After the breakup of a marriage and the loss of her home, she said she lived in her car until police towed it with all of her remaining belongings. Hillery couldn’t pay the towing fees, and the car wasn’t worth much, so she had to let go of the last of her mementos, including the baby book that documented hopeful milestones during the first year of her life.

“I’m living in a shelter now. I have PTSD,” Hillery said. “I don’t know how anyone wouldn’t have PTSD with the loss of a vehicle and family.”

For this class, art teachers from the nearby Art Students League of Denver come to The Gathering Place to teach weekly art classes.

On this day, Amy Marsh teaches class members about perspective. She’s an acrylic and watercolor painter who also teaches classes on using textiles.

“I want to do a sky with mountains,” one of the participants tells Marsh, who shows the student some common tricks that artists use.

Marsh draws some smaller objects up high on a piece of paper to make them appear farther away.

“That way, we can make things pop in the front,” Marsh said.

Art eases painful memories of abuse

Katherine, 72, has loved art all of her life. She arrives at the painting class wearing a neon green T-shirt with her own design on the back. It shows a woman’s face with the word: “Freedom.”

Katherine said the shirt is a self-portrait and illustrates her freedom from the pain of abuse she suffered as a child.

“I have carried all that for so long. I’m free from the abuse,” she said. “Even to be here is freedom.”

A mother of six and a grandmother, Katherine said artistic expression always has helped her cope with trauma.

“Back in kindergarten, I found that my art helped me talk about abuse and isolation,” she said. “Art allows me to put things where I can accept them.”

These days, Katherine lives in low-income housing for older adults.

“Before that, I was homeless for six years. I stayed on people’s couches.”

‘Art is wellness’

Megan Kaley is the art and wellness advocate at The Gathering Place.

She oversees various art classes, including painting, crocheting and knitting.

“Art is wellness,” said Kaley. “It can be incredibly powerful for people who are navigating difficult life circumstances. When people are facing homelessness, they don’t have a space where they can be creative.”

Along with specific art classes, Kaley has created a “tea time,” when members can relax and recharge as they tap into their creativity.

“We offer more than basic resources,” Kaley said. “We provide a space where people can build confidence and release emotions as they make something. These activities can be the best part of somebody’s day.

“So much is going on in these people’s lives. They face decisions, stress, chaos and substance use and mental health challenges. But you see their demeanor change when they walk in the room,” Kaley said.

“We help people work on big-picture issues, like how to get housed and how to get from point A to point B. But we don’t want to exhaust people who are already exhausted. We are serving individuals who have many needs. Sometimes, painting for an hour is a form of self-care. And it can help people get through other hard parts of their life,” Kaley said.

‘The divide is getting larger between the wealthiest people and the rest of us’

For Alayya, 42, The Gathering Place is a “breath of fresh air.”

She used to have an apartment and a job in Arizona. But since moving to Denver, Alayya has found the cost of housing too high. So, she’s been living in a women’s shelter near downtown.

“The divide is getting larger between the wealthiest people and the rest of us,” she said. “Not having a home is not purely because of choices.”

Affordability is a big factor.

“I remember when an apartment was $800 a month. My apartment in Phoenix was about $2,000 a month. The pay scale could allow for that.”

But Denver has been more expensive, which is why Alayya is considering leaving town soon.

But for now, she finds refuge during the day at The Gathering Place.

She popped into the painting class but wanted to work on a sewing project, and Kaley eagerly helped Alayya find a needle and thread so she could turn a pair of spring pants that had gotten stained into a fashionable scarf for her hair.

“People come here and find a sense of community,” Alayya said.

Like the others here, Alayya has suffered many losses during her life. She’s the youngest of six children who grew up in New York. Her mom was addicted to drugs and became sick with AIDS. When Alayya was just 2 1/2, her mom had to be hospitalized. She then went into the foster care system. An older sister later helped raise her and gave her plenty of love and support. But by age 16, Alayya moved out and was living on her own.

“I was so young. My sister made it a goal to raise us differently from the way our mom had raised her. We all went through a lot,” she said.

Alayya is grateful that she never has dealt with substance use issues that led to her mom’s early death. But she does cope with anxiety.

“I use a lot of the services here. Therapy can come in many different forms,” Alayya said.

Along with popping into the art room, she participates in “Recovery Bingo.”

She also enjoys writing.

“I write poetry, and I write about my experiences,” Alayya said.

She has loved spending time at The Gathering Place.

“It’s a welcoming place, a wonderful place for self-expression,” Alayya said.

“In shelters, there are lots of rules. Here, you can come and be yourself. They will meet you where you are. I love that they are so encompassing of everyone, whether or not you have housing, whether or not you are in the midst of a crisis.

“This organization is the embodiment of empowerment for clients,” Alayya said.

Art classes give people a chance to express themselves and to connect with others

Katie Crow is the Housing and Wellness Program Manager for The Gathering Place.

Through general wellness programs, navigators provide one-on-one, intensive, individualized support to help members. That can include dealing with diverse issues from recovery and safety planning to finding health care.

Navigators meet with members regularly to set goals and make sure they’re following through on them.

“We also provide physical and mental health clinical services by inviting partners on site,” Crow said.

The group wellness services include various activities, such as art classes and “any activity that can facilitate recovery, mental well-being or even joy and respite from all the things people are worrying about,” she said.

“We also compensate members who want to design and lead their own groups of any kind,” Crow said. “That’s one of my favorite parts of the program, and it’s a really direct way to make sure programs are member-centered.”

The art programs have been popular with members at The Gathering Place because they give people joy and also the opportunity to express themselves.

“All sorts of hard things come up when you’re moving through a transition in your life. Maybe you’re giving up something that was masking emotions, like substances,” Crow said. “A lot of emotions will come up.”

Creativity provides an outlet for those emotions.

“We see people who will come in and make artwork for kids that they’ve been estranged from. Art is their way of building a bridge. It can be really significant.”

That’s exactly how Hillery feels about art and The Gathering Place in general.

“It’s been a haven for me,” she said.

“The programs here are vital for people who are dealing with homelessness. They help us take our minds off our problems. It’s very healing.”