This is an archive. The forum is not taking new registrations or allowing new discussion, despite what the buttons might suggest.
More than a shelter, home
BAY AREA More than a shelter, home
The homeless respond to good quarters, comfort, says architect
Kevin Fagan, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, February 21, 2005
Anyone who thinks creating housing for the homeless means slapping paint on the cheapest building in town and handing door keys to the destitute would find the latest book from UC Berkeley architecture Professor Sam Davis an eye-opener.
Don't cheap it out, he writes in "Designing for the Homeless: Architecture That Works" -- spend a bit extra to make sure any housing, shelters or service offices that get built are not just attractive, but psychologically comforting and tailored specifically for the homeless.
Comforting? Attractive? Costing more than the basics?
That might sound coddling and expensive to anyone not familiar with the architectural science involved. But Davis, whose book is the country's first on the subject, contends that not only does going the extra yard make it easier to help the homeless -- it actually saves money in the long run.
Design buildings that make the homeless want to live in them, or at least walk inside and apply for assistance, and you will have an infinitely better chance of getting them to stabilize their dysfunctional lives, the 58-year-old professor told an audience earlier this month at Cody's Books on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley.
And every time a homeless person starts living indoors, society is able to spend less on jails, hospitals and all the other expensive emergency services that become revolving doors for most people living on the street.
The math is borne out in national studies showing that housing with counseling services on site -- called supportive housing -- costs about $1, 000 a month to maintain, while hospital beds cost about $30,000 a month, and jail cells cost more than $3,000 a month.
"We've learned quite a bit along the way, and many of our assumptions that we made early on were wrong," said Davis, who has designed affordable housing for 40 years and in 1995 crafted the nation's first housing for homeless kids with HIV and AIDS, at Larkin Street Youth Services in San Francisco. "But now we know better, and we can do better."
For instance, he told the audience of 30, one of the old assumptions made in the design of shelters and assistance centers was that those seeking help wanted to meet with counselors in closed-off offices for privacy. But the opposite turned out to be true. So many homeless people had been in jails or rehabilitation centers that they were distrustful of anything resembling an institution -- and they preferred open halls, lots of light and plenty of color on the walls.
This might seem subtle, Davis said. But the fact is that if people who are homeless are too put off to walk in the door, they will not even start the journey toward a healthier life. "When individuals become homeless, they feel many different emotions: anger, confusion, embarrassment, fear, exhaustion, depression and hopelessness," Davis read from his book. "The facilities that we design to house them therefore need to convey qualities of sanctuary and refuge at the outset, and the entry is critical in establishing trust."
He pointed to several developments that have used these enticing qualities to good effect, notably the St. Vincent de Paul Village in San Diego, which spreads supportive housing, shelters and job referral offices throughout several blocks in Mission style buildings with plazas and courtyards. The Larkin Street facility he designed also incorporates airy, inviting spaces, as does the Adult Shelter in Concord, which Davis helped transform in 1996 from a blocky warehouse into a gem of tiled plazas.
Another big benefit of designing well is that it helps quell the fear, and even revulsion, of neighbors. By necessity, most homeless housing has to be in central areas near other services -- such as the Tenderloin in San Francisco, or West Oakland -- and if the building has nice courtyards and living spaces, the homeless will be less likely to wander, Davis said. Also, if the housing is built attractively, it may even uplift the area around it.
"Housing the homeless is never going to be an easy problem," Davis said. "But homelessness is, by definition, about places to live. So it involves buildings. And good buildings benefit all."
E-mail Kevin Fagan at kfagan@sfchronicle.com.
Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/02/21/BAGBTBEKKL1.DTL&type=printable
The homeless respond to good quarters, comfort, says architect
Kevin Fagan, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, February 21, 2005
Anyone who thinks creating housing for the homeless means slapping paint on the cheapest building in town and handing door keys to the destitute would find the latest book from UC Berkeley architecture Professor Sam Davis an eye-opener.
Don't cheap it out, he writes in "Designing for the Homeless: Architecture That Works" -- spend a bit extra to make sure any housing, shelters or service offices that get built are not just attractive, but psychologically comforting and tailored specifically for the homeless.
Comforting? Attractive? Costing more than the basics?
That might sound coddling and expensive to anyone not familiar with the architectural science involved. But Davis, whose book is the country's first on the subject, contends that not only does going the extra yard make it easier to help the homeless -- it actually saves money in the long run.
Design buildings that make the homeless want to live in them, or at least walk inside and apply for assistance, and you will have an infinitely better chance of getting them to stabilize their dysfunctional lives, the 58-year-old professor told an audience earlier this month at Cody's Books on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley.
And every time a homeless person starts living indoors, society is able to spend less on jails, hospitals and all the other expensive emergency services that become revolving doors for most people living on the street.
The math is borne out in national studies showing that housing with counseling services on site -- called supportive housing -- costs about $1, 000 a month to maintain, while hospital beds cost about $30,000 a month, and jail cells cost more than $3,000 a month.
"We've learned quite a bit along the way, and many of our assumptions that we made early on were wrong," said Davis, who has designed affordable housing for 40 years and in 1995 crafted the nation's first housing for homeless kids with HIV and AIDS, at Larkin Street Youth Services in San Francisco. "But now we know better, and we can do better."
For instance, he told the audience of 30, one of the old assumptions made in the design of shelters and assistance centers was that those seeking help wanted to meet with counselors in closed-off offices for privacy. But the opposite turned out to be true. So many homeless people had been in jails or rehabilitation centers that they were distrustful of anything resembling an institution -- and they preferred open halls, lots of light and plenty of color on the walls.
This might seem subtle, Davis said. But the fact is that if people who are homeless are too put off to walk in the door, they will not even start the journey toward a healthier life. "When individuals become homeless, they feel many different emotions: anger, confusion, embarrassment, fear, exhaustion, depression and hopelessness," Davis read from his book. "The facilities that we design to house them therefore need to convey qualities of sanctuary and refuge at the outset, and the entry is critical in establishing trust."
He pointed to several developments that have used these enticing qualities to good effect, notably the St. Vincent de Paul Village in San Diego, which spreads supportive housing, shelters and job referral offices throughout several blocks in Mission style buildings with plazas and courtyards. The Larkin Street facility he designed also incorporates airy, inviting spaces, as does the Adult Shelter in Concord, which Davis helped transform in 1996 from a blocky warehouse into a gem of tiled plazas.
Another big benefit of designing well is that it helps quell the fear, and even revulsion, of neighbors. By necessity, most homeless housing has to be in central areas near other services -- such as the Tenderloin in San Francisco, or West Oakland -- and if the building has nice courtyards and living spaces, the homeless will be less likely to wander, Davis said. Also, if the housing is built attractively, it may even uplift the area around it.
"Housing the homeless is never going to be an easy problem," Davis said. "But homelessness is, by definition, about places to live. So it involves buildings. And good buildings benefit all."
E-mail Kevin Fagan at kfagan@sfchronicle.com.
Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/02/21/BAGBTBEKKL1.DTL&type=printable
Howdy, Stranger!