YORK art charity New Visuality is winding up a ten-month project working with people who have experienced homelessness by running a series of exhibitions in the city this week.

Funded by Arts Council England, the Out The Box project has included a trip to Middlesbrough's MIMA, a sojourn to York St Mary's Aesthetica Art Prize, a number of art sessions and now the exhibitions.

"This week has been a bit of a whirlwind," says New Visuality curator Alaa Jasim. "Simultaneous exhibitions in a city as small as York can make for a new type of art experience, almost like an art trail. You can view work from someone who has experienced homelessness on show at According To McGee, in Tower Street, and then you can walk over the road to Starbucks in Coppergate, and then stroll to All Saints Pavement.

"It's art with a different type of energy, an edgy energy. The fact that it's art from people who know what it is not be rooted or to have the sanctuary of home somehow feeds into that energy. All of the artists have a story to tell, and it's been highly gratifying curating the paintings."

Not all of the work is in traditional forms. "The good people of Science City York put us in touch with Go Print 3D, who subsidised the prototypes we got printed there," says Alaa. "It's an eye opener to see someone who six months earlier was at the end of their tether now laughing and whooping as they work with the 3Doodler, squeezing plastic into an object that actually becomes something as beautiful as the world-class ceramics we used as a resource to inspire it in the first place. It's a great buzz, and then to actually sell those items really shows you the power of art."

Evidence of New Visuality's impact can be seen in the resurgence of York artist Chalky the Yorkie. "It's no secret that I experienced homelessness and was in a very bad place before Out The Box," says Chalky. "New Visuality has helped me focus and really use art to get back on track and take control of my life. The group sessions have been superb. Once you get out of the spiral, you find that there are people who are there to help, like Richmond Fellowship and Citizens Advice.

"I'm now in a happier place and have even found myself making the most of my positive experiences to help others without homes find accommodation. I think because I've been there and done that, I have that instinct and empathy to be able to help others."

Chalky has enjoyed his time managing the exhibition at All Saints Pavement. "I'm now liaising with the public, offering guidance, explaining art terms. I'm very much 'out of the box'. Real ale, rock'n'roll and art have been my life lines."

Out The Box has reached a wide range of homeless participants, not least the "extremely vulnerable", says Alaa. "If you're going to work with the homeless, you have to be ready to roll up your sleeves and liaise with the most disadvantaged people with complex needs. For example, Geordie and Steve have an unimaginably tough time. They sleep on the floor of a disabled toilet and have heartbreaking stories. Creativity can only offer so much, but it was humbling to see how well they got stuck in, and what they obviously got out of the project."

Steve know what it feels like to lose everything – a house, a wife, a family, everything – just like Geordie does, he says. "We appreciated the art sessions. I thought I'd try and paint something that looked like paradise. You have a beach, a setting sun, and a few feathered friends above, but when you look closer at the birds, they're dripping with black ink, and the figure who in the middle of the painting is not enjoying the scenery; he's absolutely alone," he continues.

"Not everything is what it seems, you see. Everyday I get called 'loser', 'smack head', 'tramp', but they don't know the real me; they don't know my story, and how easy it is to be driving in your company car one year and then sleeping on the floor of a toilet the next."

Geordie is equally appreciative of the Out The Box project. "You might think it's only art sessions, but I can't tell you how much it means just to be able to talk to someone, and let your mind wander with a paintbrush," he says. "And for the first time in my life to see my work exhibited in a church is something I won't forget."

New Visuality is looking forward to building on the experience of exhibiting "such crucial, energetic art.", says Alaa. "In the meantime, Out The Box is on at All Saints Pavement Church and Starbucks, Coppergate, until Saturday. Go check it out."

Charles Hutchinson