Cardboard Beds Dramatize Hidden Crisis
Temporary art installation by nonprofit Courage+ highlights LGBTQ+ homelessness.
‘Unsheltered’ bed by Olivia Lorber and Reese Rousseau for Courage+. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
Five new cardboard beds are designed to draw attention to an issue that impacts 700,000 teenagers in the United States every year: homelessness.
“When people picture homelessness, many times they think about an adult. But that image doesn’t actually reflect the whole truth,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson at a press conference Tuesday morning at Cathedral Square Park.
The downtown park is one of five locations in the Milwaukee area that temporarily houses the week-long public art display. The display, led by Courage+, is centered around LGBTQ+ youth, who are estimated to make up 40% of those experiencing homelessness.
“Every bed placed across Milwaukee represents a young person whose life has been destabilized simply for being who they are or who they love,” said Courage+ Executive Director Brad Schlaikowski.
“These are kids, many times, who are ejected by their families, who are in caught in systems that fail to protect them,” said the mayor.
The cardboard beds were designed in partnership with the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design‘s Community Partnership Program and marketing firm Bader Rutter. The college coordinated the design component to bring together recent graduates and other local artists.
“They responded with stunning visuals, narratives full of pain, hope… and resilience,” said Schlaikowski. “These works don’t just reflect art, they reflect lives.”
The eye-catching displays feature a brief description and a QR code that directs viewers to the Courage+ website and its corresponding fundraising page.
“They challenge viewers to see the unseen. And they turn passive empathy into meaningful action,” said Schlaikowski.
The temporary art installation, scheduled to last through June 2, coincides with a new name for Courage+.
The organization, long known as CourageMKE, is expanding statewide and wanted a new name to reflect its broader focus.
Courage+, a 501(c)(3) organization, operates two facilities in Milwaukee today. The nonprofit opened its Courage House, 1544 S. 6th St., in 2019 with capacity for five teens. It was the first home in the state dedicated to displaced LGBTQ+ children. In 2022, the organization was certified as a qualified residential treatment program by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. In 2024, it added a six-bed facility at 2030 W. National Ave. for young adults who are homeless or have aged out of the social welfare system. Schlaikowski said the organization is looking to double the capacity of its 6th Street operation by moving to a different location.
The Cathedral Square Park bed was designed by artists Olivia Lorber and Reese Rousseau.
Additional beds can be found at Colectivo Coffee at the Lakefront (designed by Makenna Schibler), Lakefront Brewery (LaNia Sproles), Catalano Square (Jo Willis) and Colectivo’s Wauwatosa cafe at N. 68th and W. Wells streets (designed by Lillith Forsythe).
According to a 2019 University of Chicago report, 4.2 million youth and young adults (age 25 and younger) experience homelessness annually.
Schlaikowski told Urban Milwaukee the organization is working with other partners to fund a study specific to Wisconsin.
More information on Courage+’s art installation, ‘Unsheltered,’ is available on the organization’s website.
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