Each person is creative in his or her own unique way, yet people who live in poverty are often not able to experience that creative expression.

One of the very first ATD Fourth World projects was a community center that served as a place for people to come together in beautiful surroundings. Reproductions of master paintings hung on the walls; there was a carpeted library, a room for activities with children, a laundry room, and a special room for women where a beautician came to do their hair and nails. It was a place where adults and children alike could find beauty in the furnishings and, in turn, find creative programs to express the beauty within themselves.