A transitional home for the homeless

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Authors
Defalque, James S.
Advisor
Wyman, John E.
Issue Date
1996
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (B. Arch.)
Department
College of Architecture and Planning
Other Identifiers
Abstract

Homelessness arises from a multitude of circumstantial conditions, which are as many as there are homeless people. If we strip away all the superfluous baggage that sometimes gets associated with the issue of homelessness, we see that it is simply about survival in the most basic way. I am certainly not advocating that the complex way in which our society lives is the best way to live and that everyone should conform to those standards. I would merely suggest that those who want to participate, should have the opportunity or the chance to develop the necessary skills to do so.My thesis exploration is "How my architecture can strengthen the notion of education?". Beyond that, it is about creating spaces of possibility! The program is developed for a facility that literally provides a bridge for the homeless to main stream society. It has also been developed in a rather open ended manner as to suggest a variety of possibilities for the designer under the assumption that if this particular project were to be built, and deemed successful, the program would leave enough latitude to be used at other locations around the city and state as a prototype.Finally, I would hope that the program be used to develop architecture that provokes looking at the future differently. In these spaces it is possible to imagine ourselves dreaming, moving forward and beyond the limits and confines of our fixed location.The project itself will result in a series of buildings that will house the homeless during a period in which they will be learning the skills that will afford them the opportunity to leave homelessness behind. The philosophical stance that the program is derived around is that rather than give a man a fish to ease his hunger, you teach him to fish so he can feed himself. The building(s) is not intended to be a shelter or "flop" house. At the stage the clients come to this facility they have already gone through extensive screening to make sure that they are mentally, physically, and emotionally willing and able to go through an intensive job skill training and job placement program.There is a growing sentiment in America that the millions of Federally Funded tax dollars that are spent on the homeless each year does little to prevent it and is doing nothing to slow the alarming rate at which it is growing."Millions of our city and state tax and charitable dollars have been wasted. Agencies know that socks, blankets, shelter and dinner do nothing to stop the alarming growth rate of this plight, but they continue to keep asking for these accommodating tools and funding without any accountability." 1Because of the tremendous numbers of people the local shelters are dealing with, and because of the immediate need for shelter, clothing, and food, shelters continue to use their funds for accommodative tools.The program for this project was designed to facilitate, in an innovative manner, an education center for the client. What is unique about the program is that it does offer accountability that can be measured in a real and tangible way, with the graduation of one of it's clientele into the job market and into the tax paying society that funds programs like this.The spaces that have been programed include: 10 group homes (approximately 10 persons per home), a job placement / study center which includes: study spaces, lounge, day care, computer center, shop area, kitchen, job librarian office space, director's office space, certified public account office space, counselor office space, job library space, storage, and a health care facility space.The program can be broken down into three general type of spaces: private, semiprivate, and public. The private spaces will provide housing for the homeless during their period of training. These space will accommodate single residents, families and the handicapped.The semiprivate spaces are designated for the users of the private space with an emphasis placed on the notion of community and support for the radical process that they are undertaking.The job placement space will be the central focus space as far as the general public is concerned. The intention is to design a space that will become a center for job placement by using computers to link with companies across Indiana. This space is viewed as a preventative measure for homelessness as well as a necessity to getting out of homelessness.