A new public art project in New York City is giving unhoused New Yorkers and shelter staff a simple but powerful platform: their own words, printed on street signs. Alex Strada’s “Public Address” translates handwritten testimony from over 400 people into aluminum signs placed across the Bronx, and the project is now expanding to all five boroughs.
Strada is the inaugural artist-in-residence for the New York Department of Homeless Services (DHS). His project uses log entries from workshops held across New York City shelters. Those entries became the basis for the signs, which were made from aluminum sourced through the Department of Transportation.
The debut installation opened in the Bronx on Monday, September 14. It follows a prior run in Manhattan, where the project debuted in October 2025. By March 2027, the installation will have appeared in all five boroughs.
What the Signs Show
The signs cover a wide range of personal stories. Some describe an Ecuadorian mother fleeing to New York with her two daughters. Others feature an assemblage of multicolored hearts. Letters detail intimate experiences with homelessness, including the challenges of balancing high school without shelter and the sudden circumstances that can lead to eviction.
Bikes, houses, and faraway stretches of land appear throughout the project. These images highlight privileges that are often taken for granted. The letters also touch on lesser-known aspects of homelessness, including the difficulty of finding housing as an undocumented immigrant.
Why Strada Created It
Strada’s goal is straightforward. He wants the project to shift how people think about homelessness.
“My hope for this project is that it functions as a jumping off point to work towards more just realities that are not mired in stereotype or misperception, or in the acceptance of homelessness as an unavoidable byproduct of New York City life,” Strada told Hyperallergic.
The signs are meant to be seen in high-traffic areas frequented by unhoused people. They appear on street corners, parks, and other public spaces. The project is described as a long-term installation.
The Borough Expansion
The Bronx debut marks the beginning of a larger rollout. The project started in Manhattan in October 2025, and it will continue to expand until March 2027, when it reaches all five boroughs.
Each location features the same core format: handwritten testimony turned into physical signs. The Bronx installation is the first step in that sequence.
| Location | Timeline |
|---|---|
| Manhattan | October 2025 |
| Bronx | September 14, 2025 |
| All five boroughs | March 2027 |
What the Signs Say About Homelessness
The project’s strength comes from its honesty. It presents the lived experience of people who have lost homes.
“My hope for this project is that it functions as a jumping off point to work towards more just realities that are not mired in stereotype or misperception, or in the acceptance of homelessness as an unavoidable byproduct of New York City life.”
The signs show the human cost of being unhoused. They make visible the daily struggles that most people only hear about secondhand.
The Visual Language
The visual elements of the project are carefully chosen. Bikes, houses, and faraway stretches of land appear throughout the project. These images convey privileges often taken for granted.
The multicolored hearts add a softer touch. They speak to emotion and connection, even in difficult circumstances.
What Comes Next
The project continues to grow. By March 2027, it will span the entire city. Each borough will get its chance to see the signs.
For now, the Bronx is where the conversation starts. The signs are up, and the stories are out in the open.
Our View
This is a project worth noticing. It gives unhoused New Yorkers and shelter staff a platform that is rare in public art: their own words, presented directly to passersby.
The signs are not abstract. They are not political posters. They are personal accounts, written by people who have been through the experience themselves.
Strada’s approach is humble. He collects, he translates, he installs.
That restraint is the point. The project is a jumping off point, as Strada said. It asks viewers to look at homelessness without stereotype or misperception.
It also asks viewers to consider whether homelessness is truly unavoidable. That is a heavy question, and the signs do not answer it. They simply present the lived reality.
The project is a small but meaningful intervention. It puts faces on a problem that is often treated as statistics. It reminds New Yorkers that the people living in shelters are mothers, daughters, students, and neighbors.
The Bronx has the first batch. The rest of the city is coming.
Source material: “NYC’s Shelter Population Speaks Out in Public Art Project,” Hyperallergic.
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