Heidi Hansen hasn’t had a stable home in five years.
Hansen — an artist and retired child and family therapist — was first evicted from her Vancouver apartment during the pandemic. Her lifelong battle with depression, anxiety and other medical issues worsened as she drifted between motels, shelters and the streets. After years of this cycle, Hansen never thought she’d experience the security of having her own space again.
But with the help of a new local housing program established by behavioral health provider Carelon, she was able to move into her own apartment a couple of weeks ago. This experience inspired Hansen to create interactive art workbooks that she hopes to share with others facing mental health challenges.
Hansen eventually wants to distribute the workbooks to mental health nonprofit groups and advocates — including National Alliance on Mental Illness Southwest Washington, Share, Lifeline Connections and Bertha’s Place.
“It almost seems too good to be true. There is also a fear that it will disappear because in five years I’ve lost so many things,” Hansen said. “I have to retrain my brain to trust.”
Artist’s flair
Hansen, 60, started the workbooks about a month ago, sometimes spending days on each drawing.
Each page includes playful hand-drawn animals, mental health resources and scenarios that draw from Hansen’s experience.
She personified mental illnesses, like anxiety and depression, by transforming them into characters she calls villains.
“I call them the villains because they try to sneak in and steal my quality of life and peace of mind,” Hansen said.
The workbooks can be colored and also feature quizzes that invite people to think deeply about their own mind, Hansen said.
Hansen said the cartoonish approach to her art was intentional in order to contrast with the darkness of mental illness.
“I tried to take my adversity and channel it into something good and productive,” Hansen said. “So I make things that are beautiful, and I do believe that these materials can be useful to people. I’m hoping these will give people a digestible and clear way of seeing through that fog just enough to get some momentum.”
‘Reinventing the wheel’
Hansen grew up in Hawaii, but she has lived in Vancouver since 1992. She first discovered art during her time as a stay-at-home mom. She worked as a child and family therapist for many years, but she has always battled various mental illnesses.
When she was evicted from her apartment five years ago and became homeless, all of those struggles she faced increased.
Hansen said sleeping in shelters caused her to develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, as her belongings were often stolen and she did not feel a sense of security.
Her art supplies — notebooks, colored pencils and pens — were one of the things she always kept close.
“Homelessness is not a mental illness, but it can make mental illness worse,” Hansen said. “I don’t even necessarily want things because I’m scared to lose them again.”
Hansen was receiving crisis stabilization support at Rainier Springs, a mental health facility, earlier this month when Carelon offered assistance through its new supportive housing program.
Jaimie Helus, housing outreach specialist, worked with Hansen to help her comfortably transition into the new space. The housing program began earlier this year and has already served about 80 people in Clark County, Helus said.
Those referred to the program are either exiting inpatient stabilization treatment, being diverted into treatment or experiencing homelessness.
“We want to stabilize them in the community. We want to overcome their housing barriers and locate affordable housing,” Helus said. “All of this is up to the participants. We want to give them the autonomy to make decisions that are best for them, because no one knows them better than themselves.”
Carelon will pay for the apartment for the first couple of months on a graduated rent system, giving Hansen the chance work on finding a job and save money.
Hansen said she hopes her books will help at least one person feel less alone.
“It’s like reinventing the wheel every day when you’re homeless,” Hansen said. “Being here means the world. It’s like your brain can get organized because you have a place to put all your things. You wake up every day, and it’s there.”
