Sacramento’s Creation District uplifts the growing populations of Black, brown and queer unhoused youth

Twenty-one-year-old Cain, who chose not to share its/his last name for its/his safety, is one such Black youth who sought the services provided by the District when it/he was having to deal with its/his gender identity, mental health and unstable housing. Cain uses both it and he pronouns.

“As a person of color, it's just really welcoming here,” said Cain. “It's nice to be able to express ourselves without being worried about other people's opinions.” 

Grace Loescher, director of the District, told CapRadio that the organization has helped 453 unhoused young people in the last year. Loescher also uses both they and she pronouns. 

They/she said that more than half of the unhoused youth in the region touched the District in their journey to access resources, and that the space serves as a low-barrier connection point.

“Our goal is to be like that joyous thing that brings people in to help them connect to services that they otherwise wouldn't [seek],” said Loescher. “And then we specifically offer employment opportunities through a peer mentorship program, education opportunities through our charter school connections, and then a lot of wellness and mental health opportunities through an arts therapy lens.”

'You feel at home when you’re here'

From left to right, Creation District Recording Director Damien Verrett, Program Supervisor Sevie Wilde, attendees Kit, Cain and Aryan, and Recording Director Theo Scott-Femenella stand in the studio space.Russell Stiger Jr. / The Sacramento Observer

It was through this network that 20-year-old Dee, who chose not to share his last name for safety reasons, found the District when searching for housing services. 

“Came in my first day and it was awesome. Shoot, everybody was smiling. It was a cool thing,” he said. “And then they told me they had a studio here. So I come into the studio every single Tuesday, every week, don't miss a beat, and I'm making an album right now.”

Cain’s experience mirrors this story: “The day we came in, they happened to be having a songwriting group, which we stayed for, really enjoyed and continued to come back for.”

Cain’s grandmother shared with the staff of the District that its/his life drastically improved since being there. Scott-Femenella recalls her telling him that “this program saved Cain’s life.” 

A Sacramento native, Scott-Femenella has worked with youth since he graduated high school. His work as a rapper and musician ties into his community-based work, and his lyrics often reflect the systemic issues that he and his clients at the District face.

“Part of me optimistic, part of me sad and realistic,” he raps in an original song titled “Part of the System.” “For hundreds of years been suffered through countless attacks on our very existence, Civil War part two on the horizon. World war part three partner with the pandemic and global disasters of climate change.”

Aware of the benefits that art and music hold, he acknowledged that at the District “the art in the space is the hook” to get youth to come in and “once they're in, they can learn about the prevention and intervention programs and the housing assistance programs” without any pressure or judgment.

The District has connected 67% of the youth they serve to prevention and intervention resources like housing programs or mental health services in the last year, Loescher said. 

Dee and Cain both came to the District when they were unsheltered with the aspiration of recording and releasing their own albums.

“I've got one R&B, one blues [album]. Next, I'm going to do street rap, you know, some ‘Rancho rap,’” said Dee. “Rancho rap,” specific to the Rancho Cordova region, is slow at parts and picks up randomly, he explained. 

And for Cain, “having the ability to go write a song or paint something in a way that isn't just aesthetic or beautiful” has been pivotal to its/their mental health.

A survey of the youth entering the District in the last year found that 85% felt it was easier to talk about mental health and wellness issues after making use of its services. And close to 300 youth were connected to and engaged with wellness professionals.

And when in the recording studio, the lyrics that young adults write and the music they produce reveal more about the underlying experiences that might have brought them to the District, said Scott-Femenella. 

“We're talking through what their songs are about,” said Scott-Femenella. “I had an artist in here the other day — he had lost his son recently, and I could hear that in his song even though he didn’t say it to me.”

It’s radical when a community invests in a young person's whole identity beyond just their housing status, their income status and their trauma, Loescher said. 

“They’re learning how to rebuild healthy relationships, learning how to be seen, how to communicate hurt, how to work through conflict and still be in a place where you're loved and you're welcomed,” Loescher added. “That's one of the most powerful aspects of the space.”

The District’s offerings include a recording studio, instruments, music internships, classes on racial justice, a gender affirming clothing closet and an art room filled with various prompts, all free to young people under 24 to create with. 

“There are so few programs supporting young people who are experiencing homelessness that aren't just outcomes based,” Loescher added.

While one of the program’s goals is to create accessibility to the arts, the District also contends with the misconceptions that surround being unhoused. Loescher said they/she finds that youth end up unsheltered due to circumstances outside of their control.

“No. 1 is generational trauma and generational poverty,” they/she said. “[No.] 2 would be queer and trans youth who've been kicked out of their homes.”

Scott-Femenella pinpointed the need for a diversity lens when working with unhoused youth because, oftentimes, Black and brown youth don't feel comfortable being able to fully open up about their situations. His efforts include targeted outreach to Black youth who are less likely to seek resources on their own, and are disproportionately represented in the unhoused population. 

“You feel at home when you're here,” underscored Dee, a young Black man who plans to take advantage of the opportunities the District presents.

Dee and Cain unearth the benefits of a holistic center that encourages innovation, all while keeping humanity at the forefront of the work. Despite being housing insecure, the District is a place they can call home. 

The Creation District's space in Midtown, Sacramento.Russell Stiger Jr. / The Sacramento Observer

Staff like Scott-Femenella and Loescher also help cultivate an inclusive community for the many marginalized youth that access their organization. Their work employs artistry which acts as a conduit for knowledge acquisition, overcoming trauma, and subsequently combats the stigma around being unhoused.

“It definitely gets heavy,” said Scott-Femenella. “And the stories that they tell [of becoming unhoused] are very normal, and that can hit close to home.”

If you are in need of their services, you can find the Creation District at 1219 S St. or call (703) 314-5299. 

This story was reported with the help of high school student Kay Stout and CapRadio’s Homelessness and Housing Affordability reporter Chris Nichols.

Srishti Prabha is an education reporter and Report For America corps member in collaboration with CapRadio and The Sacramento Observer. Their focus is K-12 education in Sacramento’s Black communities.