Our Hearts Of Fire Project’s beautiful 1993 Fleetwood Flair arrived today, 27 feet of two-tone blue possibility! Not only is it in great shape, but it came with plenty of gas and a new registration. Our mission – empowering people through musical self-expression – just reached the next level.

We plan to use the RV to record and edit music created by people without homes. We will travel to where they are, work with them at shelters and other locations and record them performing music. Selected copies of these performances will be given to the musicians and to help them showcase their work. We will also video their performances and talk with them on camera. The music recordings will be edited and shared with the world via digital downloads and CD’s. Likewise, we will edit and upload the videos and when we have enough footage, create a full length film.

Although we are off to great start, we need donations of audio and video equipment as well as musical instruments to get the project off the ground. Specifically, we need a Mac computer, an audio computer interface and software, microphones, stands, guitars, keyboards and percussion. For video production, we need editing software and computer monitors. Once we have what we need to launch the project, we will also welcome some creative volunteers to assist us, especially people with audio and video production experience.

We are very excited about this and can’t wait to get our new RV studio up and running. Great things are going to happen!

<Click on this picture to watch video

As usual, the children had the most fun, but we adults weren’t far behind. I won’t say anything else about our experience except to say watch this video. People are amazing!

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A Big Thank You to Reggie, Ros, Bob and all the great people at Solutions For Change!

<Click on this image or click on this link to watch video.

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Now on to the next video – our workshop at Solutions For Change last month.

We are nearing the point where we have enough art from our recent workshops to have an exhibition of this unique work. Our objective is to convey the essential humanity and spirit of each of the participants in the workshop. We do more than exhibit the work. We provide a platform for the unheard to be heard and the unseen to be seen. We’ll be sure to let everyone know when and where we will have this very special event.

Since Solutions For Change is a transitional program for families without homes, we had a lot of fun with all the kids. Unlike the adults, they needed very little coaxing to get them started. Some kids completed four or five drawings!

Although it was sometimes hard to keep track of them, I think we had about 12 kids and 5 adults all together. Everyone had a lot of fun. As the opportunity arose, we interviewed and filmed participants and captured some great footage. Consequently, we are editing the film and hope to compile a short video soon. When it i completed, we will post it on this site and also on our Face Book page.

A big thank you to all the wonderful staff and residents at Solutions For Change for allowing us to contribute to the great work you are all doing.

And a very special thanks from Solutions For Change!

Well In The Desert Workshop

It has been quite awhile since I have posted anything on this site. Mostly, it is because we have been using our Face Book page instead. It reaches more people and is easier to use both for me and for our audience. At some point, we will probably create a new web site, something more modern and user friendly. But for now, this is what we have. Excuses aside, I am here to bring you up to date about our activities over the last several months as well as share our plans for the future.

A lot has happened over the last year or so. Much of it involves my personal life, but since I am the carrier of the vision for the Hearts Of Fire Project, my experiences inevitably effect the project. Some of these experiences have been challenging and at times, inhibited my ability to work on the project. Thus, progress often came to a virtual standstill. Despite this, I have stayed in touch with Spirit, the true source of this project, and am asking for guidance to help me bring forth this vision in the world.

The vision has not changed, although I think it has been refined a bit. Empowering people is a popular idea these days and I am happy to see that it is. But what does it really mean? In the case of our project, it means recognizing the innate value of each human being and honoring the unique contribution each of us has to make in the world. For most of us, it is a life-long process to find what it is each of us is here to contribute, to understand what we are here to do. I have spent years contemplating my purpose and understand that it is not a simple undertaking. One thing that has become apparent is that at least part of my purpose is helping others discover their purpose, their gifts and their unique ability to contribute. Thus, I feel blessed to offer an avenue for the expression of that individual and collective contribution – the Hearts of Fire Project.

We created a new structure for our Art Empowerment Workshop, our primary vehicle for the project. With the assistance of our new Art Director and several great volunteers, we conducted several workshops at the Well In The Desert in Palm Springs, CA. The Well In The Desert is a wonderful organization that has been supporting people without homes in the Coachella Valley for many years.

From June through October, we delivered one workshop each month and each one was amazing. Although the desert heat and complicated logistics kept the attendance down, the people who were there experienced a shift in their lives. We interviewed some of these people about their experiences and their art. It was amazing. I am working on these videos and should have them ready for posting on our site soon.

In 2015, we are planning to conduct more workshops. We are investigating venues in the Palm Springs area as well as locations elsewhere. We are conducting a workshop on February 28^th at Solutions For Change in Vista, CA. We conducted a workshop there in 2008, on our first west coast tour. They invited us back and we are very excited about it. We are expecting a good crowd. Since this a family shelter, there will lots of kids too. That is always fun. As usual, we will be video taping the workshop and will be posting more here about the experience. It is good to be back!

Thank you to all of our old and new supporters! Your donations are very much appreciated. Without them, we could not continue our work.

Bob Ballard, founder of the Hearts Of Fire Project and an award-winning singer/songwriter, will perform several of his songs inspired by the people without homes who he met in his travels around the U.S. working on the project.

The project team video taped some of the art empowerment workshops and interviewed  participants. Three of these short, inspiring videos will be screened at this event.

In addition to the art, music and film screening, Bob will explain the origin and evolution of the project and describe some of his amazing experiences. He will generate a new perspective on what we commonly call homelessness and inspire people with his vision of empowerment. Bob will also describe our new program which we will be launching locally in the near future.

Refreshments will be served. A $10 admission charge is suggested. Proceeds to benefit the Hearts Of Fire Project and the Center for Spiritual Living, Palm Springs. In addition to art prints, merchandise will be available on site at our on line store. Event begins promptly at 7:30PM on Saturday, May 17. You won’t want to miss a minute of it.

This will be an incredible experience, unlike anything you may have seen before. That is our promise.

This has been a year of challenges for me as well as the Hearts Of Fire Project. The year began with me arriving in the desert of S. California in my trusty RV after more than a year on tour, working with people across the U.S. to restore the dignity of humanity and to help bring about a just and human society. Since arriving in the desert, I have been working to develop connections in the local human services community as well as with social justice advocates and unhoused people. We have also been working to develop a new program as well as fortify our existing ones.

Our new program is called the Conscious Empowerment Program (CEP). It is designed to help people discover who they are, their inherent value and the unlimited capacity they have to contribute to others. The program is based on our extensive field experience with our art and music empowerment program and includes elements from various spiritual traditions and practices. Through a series of self-discovery workshops and experiences, participants obtain new insights into themselves and develop a vision of who they are and what they want to contribute to others.

The Homes On Wheels program is continuing to attract attention. Hardly a week goes by where someone seeking personal shelter in an old RV or van, contacts us asking for help. As a result, we have been searching for donations of suitable vehicles to meet the on-going need. Although we have not obtained any donated vehicles so far, we have provided much needed coaching and resources to the people who have contacted us.

In connection with the HOW program, we want to create a campground specifically geared to serving people living in vehicles. The are close to a million people living in vehicles in this country and they need a safe place to park where they will not be harassed and intimidated. We have identified a great location for such a campground and are in the process of developing plans to acquire this property. The 35-acre parcel is currently on the market and is zoned for a mobile home park that was never developed. An architectural firm is working with us and has created an exciting plan for an integrated community of vehicle dwellers.

Also part of HOW program is our desire to create a mobile towing and repair service for people living in vehicles. Often, when a vehicle breaks down, it is towed away by the authorities before the owner/resident can get it fixed. Usually, this results in the loss of the vehicle (and home) altogether because of the high fees levied for towing, storage and police citations. Towing away people’s homes and all their belongings, leaving them destitute is not the answer. Usually, a simple repair at the right time will prevent this cruel and unnecessary situation from occurring.

As you can see, we have some great plans that will make a difference for many people. We are interested in more than alleviating homelessness. We are out to build a shift in how we see each other, to create a new view of people that is based on their inherent value, independent of physical circumstances and appearances. This is not a new message or philosophy, it is an important part of many religions and teaching traditions. What is new is our belief that people without homes, people who may be suffering from poverty, are actually messengers and teachers. They are here to teach us that what is important is love and connection and community. Most of them live by these values simply because the consumer model of success doesn’t work when surviving on the street is the primary concern.

Only the human heart can overcome the challenges to humanity that we face and it is that victory that we are here to support in ourselves and each other. We are not our circumstances. We are powerful, eternal beings having a temporary human experience. With that recognition, the real importance of life emerges. The opportunity to serve and support each other is all that really matters. And many of those who live with challenges to their physical survival quickly learn that without others, they will not survive. Thus, community and connection are a necessity, not just a nice idea.

I ask that you consider supporting us with a donation so that we can continue and expand our work and our message. We know that what we are doing inspires people and makes a difference. All we need to really make a big impact is your help. Let the New Year be one of rebirth and renewal for all of us. No one left out, everyone included. We are One People, One Planet, One Life.

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UPDATE: October 29, 2014

We have decided to discontinue the Homes On Wheels (HOW) program effective immediately. Although it is a great idea and something people really need, we have not been able to gather the community support and resources required to carry it out. In addition, the program is not fully aligned with our core mission. Consequently, we will not accept any requests for assistance or will not be able to assist anyone who has already asked for our help.

This interview with the study’s lead researcher and homeless activist Mark Hovarth is very interesting and reiterates many of the points we have been making about vehicle dwelling. I am happy that this issue is receiving some serious attention but I am concerned about some of the impacts this could have on the very people that the research is supposed to help.

First of all, I am concerned about the use of the six criteria that the researchers developed for use in the annual homeless count. Although I understand that they came up with these criteria to help insure that the people living in vehicles were included in the count, these criteria can and probably will be used to harass and intimidate people living in their vehicles. These people are already the subject of ongoing persecution and are forced to hide from law enforcement and “do-gooders” who don’t want these people besmirching their neighborhoods. The last thing people in vehicles need is a check list to help people find them because as it stands, living in vehicles is illegal in most jurisdictions.

Secondly, I don’t think we need to quantify a problem  that we know already exists unless we have solutions in place. Right now, we don’t. With the exception of the very successful Safe Parking Program in Santa Barbara, CA and a few others, there is no safe place for people to live in vehicles. I am happy that the City of Seattle and the study’s author are interested in creating a safe place to park, but until they do, people in vehicles are now even more vulnerable to persecution than they were before this study was published.

As alluded to in the video, when vehicle dwellers are identified and ticketed by law enforcement, eventually their home will be towed away and impounded. Unlike a typical parking violator who has a nice place to live until they get their car back, vehicle dwellers are out on the street. Not only that, but everything they own is gone with their vehicle as well. In a matter of days, the fees for towing, impoundment and fines far exceed anything anyone without shelter can afford. So now, we have a family or an individual with no home rather than just an inadequate one.

I hope that the publication of the study will spur solutions quickly. Otherwise, more suffering will ensue for those living in vehicles. In the past, a study like this may have produced solutions quickly, but with the diminishing resources now available, it is more likely that it will result in more harm than help. However, I believe it is best for people to know the truth, so that at least those who wish to help can do so.

We have been working on a program to address the needs of vehicle dwellers – the Homes On Wheels Program. It began in 2009 when we received an RV which we rehabbed and gave to a homeless family. The program has three main components:

1. Distribution of RV’s to people without shelter
2. Repairing vehicles and RV’s that people call home
3. Finding and/or creating safe places to park and live in vehicles

Although we have been working on this for quite some time, we have not made as much progress as we wished. We have had difficulties obtaining suitable RV donations, identifying people and facilities to donate repair services and locating suitable places to park. Also, we have not raised enough money to help us accomplish these things. However, we have partnered with the Safe Parking Program in Santa Barbara and direct people there as appropriate. We are also reaching out to people in vehicles, counseling them and referring them to others who may help. In addition, we are serving as an informal hotline for people who have been contacting us for help..

I believe that the answers to the issue of homelessness and the need to live in places like vehicles does not lie in creating more programs. The answers lie in our hearts. Individually and collectively, we need to open our hearts to those around us who need help. We need to give up our judgments about ourselves and others. I know this is easier said than done, but what other choice do we have? We have spent millions of dollars on assistance programs and what has been the result? More suffering and more homelessness. Why has this happened? Quite simply, because of fear. So long as we fear each other and use our judgments to separate ourselves from each other and even from ourselves, no amount of money will solve the issue of homelessness. Let us each do what we can where we are right now. If enough of us do that, things will change and the experience of being alive will transform.

I thought you’d like an update on the project. What we have planned, what we are working on and how you can help us help others. Please watch and let us know what you think.

Click on the picture below to watch video.

Click on the picture below to watch the video.

Looking forward to hearing from you. Thank  you!