Culture
Using Literature as a Force for Good Among Austin's Homeless Population
Through book donations and creative writing classes, one man is giving back to a community of which he was once a part.
Every Saturday afternoon, Barry Maxwell unlocks the door to a conference room at the ARCH, the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless. He sets up a coffee pot, and lines a table with a buffet of snacks. In one of the closets, there’s a stash of notebooks; he sets those out, too.
Because it’s the weekend, the ARCH is largely devoid of administrative staff. But that’s not a problem for Maxwell; he knows his way around. Just six years ago, he was living there.