Luck

Luck is a 30x30” mixed media collage on a wood panel. I created this piece to act as a critique on the idea that housing is something that must be earned. Drawing off of data from the U.S. Census Bureau, millions of empty homes exist alongside an unaccounted for homelessness population. This work highlights the disconnect between available resources and those in need. These gaps are not a coincidence. They are reinforced by systems and beliefs that normalize inequality and make it easier to look away. Most people experiencing homelessness look the same as the rest of us, because they are the same. Their situations are merely a result of unstable systems, not personal failure. My work asks viewers to reconsider how quickly stability can shift. It questions why collective responsibility for shared resources feels so unattainable. My piece addresses how housing is seen as a marker of worth instead of a basic human need. I wanted to create a space for discomfort and reflection, a potential solution to the lack of empathy around this topic. Through this piece, I invite viewers to confront their assumptions, to recognize their connection to those experiencing homelessness. Most importantly, to reconsider what it means to live in a society with enough resources for everyone to have basic needs met and what it says about us for refusing to deliver it.