BOISE, Idaho — On Thursday, neighbors gathered at Jesse Tree, a nonprofit focused on preventing eviction and homelessness, to help paint a large mural designed by local artist Sarah Harris.
The paint-by-numbers style mural is the first time Harris has invited the public to collaborate on one of her large-scale pieces. The strong turnout reflected broad community support for Jesse Tree, as the organization faces ongoing uncertainty due to recent federal funding cuts.
“So this is the first time doing a community where we get people involved in actually putting a mural on the wall,” Harris said.
The whimsical design features treehouses nestled in leafy branches, each symbolizing safety, home, and the people who help make that possible.
“We see these two people over here planting a tree on the mural, and that's supposed to represent the people that work in Jesse Tree, you know, cultivating this environment where they keep people in their homes,” Harris said.
The event also included a summer pop-up market with local artists from the Creative Women’s Collective to shop and learn more about Jesse Tree’s work in the Treasure Valley.
“Our mission is to prevent homelessness and eviction, so we serve people when they can't pay their rent, provide them with information, support, and rental assistance,” said Ali Rabe, executive director of Jesse Tree. “This event, I just think it's a really great symbol of that.”
But Jesse Tree’s mission could be harder to fulfill in the months ahead.
The nonprofit recently lost $40,000 in grant money and several AmeriCorps members who had been supporting its housing programs. Rabe said most of Jesse Tree’s rental assistance comes from local philanthropy, but with continued uncertainty around federal grants, the organization will need more support to maintain its current scale of service.
“If we lose this funding and we're not able to replace it with other funding, we are going to be able to serve less people, and more people in our community are going to end up homeless,” Rabe said.
Jesse Tree serves around 1,000 families per year in the Treasure Valley.
