homeless catalogue

ARMING THE CONSTITUENTS IN THE WAR ON HOMELESSNESS:

AN ALTERNATE HOUSING STRATEGY FOR NEW YORK CITY

A CATALOGUE OF TACTICS, TOOLS, AND WEAPONRY

S1

S2

S3

I6

I.D.

I.D.

I.D.

I.D.

316

412

305

203

201

205

204

110

303

I2

D1

D2

D3

D4

D5

D6

D7

D8

D9

D10

D11

I5

I6

I1

I3

I4

S1

S2

S3

I.D.

CONTENTS

Arming the Constituents:Introduction

Catalogue A: At Risk

New Typology: Drop-in City

Micro Projects: Products and Services

Catalogue B: Currently Homeless

Case Study: Queens Community District 12

Proposal: 225 Housing Units for Jamaica Center

Appendix

ArchAttacks!Game Design and Data Collection

01

02

03

04

05

06

= +

= +

On any given day, about 36,000 people are homeless in New York City.

However, less than 10 percent of the homeless population actually resides in the public spaces of the city typi-cally associated with sites of homelessness: the street, the subway, abandoned lots.1 The majority of New York’s homeless, living in the city’s shelter system, consists almost entirely of families, all of whom are invisible to the public eye. This data does not include the thou-sands of New Yorkers who are at risk of becoming home-less within the year. These factors make it very diffi-cult to delineate the boundaries of homelessness in the city. How can architecture address such an invisible and undefined institution?

Standard governmental responses to homelessness consist of funding emergency shelters and temporary relief ini-tiatives in the hope of easing the short-term discomfort

Arming the Constituents in the War on Homelessness:An Alternate Housing Strategyfor New York City

of homelessness. Strategies based around temporary so-lutions formed the core of New York City’s plan for homelessness for decades. A surge in the population seeking emergency shelter following 9/11 provoked the Bloomberg administration to reformulate the city’s home-less services system in 2002, focusing instead on perma-nent solutions for those currently homeless and preven-tative measures for those at risk of becoming homeless. The new strategy aims at decreasing lengths of stays in expensive homeless shelters and creating cost-effective and long-term improved living conditions for the home-less through the construction of large-scale supportive housing developments (12,000 new units are planned for the next five years). The mayor’s final goal is nothing short of ending homelessness in New York City once and for all.

Architectural responses to homelessness have also tended to focus on temporary solutions, often consisting of transportable shelter solutions for individuals living on the street. But unlike governmental strategies, ar-chitectural responses are often leveraged at the scale of the individual, enhancing the existing tactics of the currently homeless. While small-scale responses can have great power for the individuals involved, they fail to address the large-scale needs of the majority of the homeless population: the thousands of men, women, and families at risk of homelessness or currently navigating the city’s shelter system.

This project seeks to redefine the constituency of home-lessness and to propose architectural actions that both address and reach beyond temporary solutions for the individual living on the street. Of those who experi-ence homelessness in a given year, at any given time only 40 percent are currently homeless, while the re-

maining 60 percent are still at risk. This divide sug-gests the need for both permanent and preventative re-sponses that take into account the needs of those living in emergency shelters and supportive housing, as well as those transitioning from the homes of friends or family, prisons, hospitals, and foster care. We aim to act within the architectural tradition of tactical responses while addressing the simple fact that the majority of homeless New Yorkers are seeking permanent, not tempo-rary, housing solutions. The most extreme form of home-lessness in New York City is a systemic issue, and must be dealt with in systemic terms. At the same time we are interested in how average New Yorkers make their homes in the public spaces of the city every day. Strategic architectural responses to homelessness could serve a wider audience than those most extremely affected.

Our strategy begins with an analysis of the current con-ditions of at-risk and homeless populations, tracing the two paths through the existing homeless services system. We then identify and design for conditions occurring across homeless or at-risk populations, including the average city dweller experiencing some degree of home-lessness in everyday life. Identifying shared needs and interdependencies among seemingly disparate groups sug-gests the possibility of developing more effective tac-tics as well as creating a new, de-stigmatized image of homelessness in the modern city.

Within this catalogue of tactics, tools, and weaponry, we propose services (housed in the new typology of a drop-in city for existing drop-in centers), products (used by various constituency groups and displayed and sold in a flagship store with roving outlets), and hous-ing units (addressed in a case study and supportive housing proposal for Jamaica Center in Queens Community

District 12). By experimenting with and combining vari-ous distribution models, we aim to cover a more exten-sive territory that is the reality of homelessness in New York.

Asking a series of guiding questions, we frame the proj-ect within the current and continuing cultural context of social “wars,” considering Mayor Bloomberg’s plan as a new battle in the war on homelessness:

Who are the constituents of this war, on all sides?How can they be armed to achieve their mission(s)?What might their weapons look like?What might their tactics be?How can this strategy be deployed in the territory of New York City?

Terri ChiaoDeborah Grossberg

June 2007

Notes

1 Data compiled from Vera Insti-tute of Justice study and Depart-ment of Homeless Services website documents suggests that less than 4,000 individuals live on the street in New York, while approximately 36,000 people expe-rience homelessness onany given day.

2 Currently, one million dollars can house 27 families per year in the existing shelter system or 112 families in their own homes with rental assistance.

3 Determined through an analysis of data compiled from the Vera Institute of Justice study and the Department of Homeless Ser-vices website

Sources

VERA Institute of Justice, Under-standing Family Homelessness in NYC (September 2005)

NYC Department of Homeless Ser-viceswww.nyc.gov/dhs

Uniting for Solutions Beyond Shelter: The Action Plan for New York City (2004)

Coalition for the Homeless, Undercounting the Homeless (May 2004)

Coalition for the Homeless, State of the Homeless 2006 (January 2006)

Thanks to Laura Kurgan and the Spatial Information Design Lab for supporting this research through the fall 2006 housing studio at Columbia UniversityGraduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.

ARMED FORCES

HOMELESS

AT RISK

AVERAGE

= 10 MEN

= 10 WOMEN

= 10 CHILDREN

1000:

TOTAL

CONSTITUENCY

300: SUPPORTIVE

HOUSING

20: HOSPITAL/DETOX

250: FAMILIES

150: 3+ PPL FAMILIES

100: 2 PPL FAMILIES

50: 1/2 HOUSE UNITS

45: STREET UNITS

30: GENERAL SINGLES

10: FOSTER CARE GRADS

10: HOSPITAL/DETOX

30: GUEST HOUSE UNITS

5: HOMESTAY UNITS

10: HOUSE CALL UNITS

20: GUEST HOUSE UNITS

20: HOMESTAY UNITS

15: HOUSE CALL UNITS

30: 1 HOUSE UNITS

45: 1 HOUSE UNITS

55: HOUSE UNITS

50: SINGLE ADULTS

400: HOMELESS

600: AT RISK

100: PUBLIC SPACE

55: MARKET-RATE

STREET UNITS

45: MARKET-RATE

HOUSE UNITS

100: HOMEBASE UNITS

70: JAIL/PRISON

150: OWN HOME

360: FAMILY/

FRIENDS

I.D.6: SERVICES

14: PRODUCTS

ARTISTS BUSINESS TRAVELERS

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

COMMUTERS

GUESTS

20: BUSINESS TRAVELERS

40: STUDENTS

15: OUTPATIENTS

225: FAMILIES

MOVING IN

secret agency

identity reclamation service

second life

urban renewal materials

redistribution center

model house

flagship store

health portal

transit fleet

funland daycare

check-in platform

friendly barrier

wallpaper awareness

bunker bed

capsule shelter

expandable playhouse

pop-out tent

the sock

clean-cut kit

soft seat

magic cloak

drop box lobby

clip-on hammock

dust-ruffle disguise

WEAPONRY

= 10 HOUSE UNITS

= 10 STREET UNITS

= 10 HOMEBASE UNITS

GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS

EXTENDED INSTITUTIONS

RETAIL INITIATIVES

RENEGADE INSTITUTIONS

AT HOME ON THE STREET

PUBLIC CAMPAIGNS

AT HOME IN THE HOME

Who are the constituents of this war,

on all sides?

How can they be armed to achieve

their mission(s)?

What might their weapons look like?

What might their tactics be?

How can this strategy be deployed

in the territory of New York City?

ARMING CONSTITUENTS IN THE WAR ON HOMELESSNESS

AN ALTERNATIVE SUPPORTIVE HOUSING STRATEGY FOR NEW YORK CITY

CATALOGUE A: AT RISK

= +

Emergency shelters are the standard response to homeless-ness in New York City. Drop-in centers and intake locations (places where homeless people can go to request information and emergency housing) are notoriously terrible spaces to be in, let alone live in for days on end, as many homeless families are made to do while waiting for a more permanent housing placement. About a third of the homeless populta-tion in New York is children, whose accounts clearly state that the experience of staying in these spaces is deeply traumatic. By condensing and expanding these intake and drop-in centers into drop-in cities with enriched program-ming, homeless services organizations can make use of time spent waiting and destigmatize entry into the homeless ser-vices system.

NEW TYPOLOGY:DROP-IN CITY

DROP-IN CITY:CATALOGUE FACADE

I6 JAMAICA ARMORY:WOMEN’S INTAKE CENTER

FRIENDLYBARRIER

CHECK-INPLATFORM

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

City dwellers make their home in the street, subway, cafe, bars, parks, and other public spaces to compensate for the lack of space and/or the poor quality of their individual living spaces. The extreme version of this collectivized living in the street is the sleeping on the street that is the image of the stereotypical homeless person. This nega-tive image is an extension of the very positive qualities that dense city living requires -- the interaction and demo-cratic mixing that happens on city streets. The obvious negative side of street sleeping, and all of the other forms of public space habitation that city dwellers experience, is the physical discomfort caused by attempting to make one’s home in a place designed for other activities. Domes-ticating the streetscape creates comfortable public living spaces for all city dwellers, especially the homeless.

GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS

EXTENDED INSTITUTIONS

DISPLAY INITIATIVES

RENEGADE INSTITUTIONS

I003 second life

I002 urban renewal materials

redistribution center

D002 model house

D001 flagship store

X001 health portal

X003 transit fleet

secret agencyG001

identity reclamation serviceI001I.D.

X002 funland daycare

X004 check-in platform

AT HOME ON THE STREET

PUBLIC CAMPAIGNS

AT HOME IN THE HOME

S002 clean-cut kit

S004 soft seat

P001 wallpaper awareness

H003 bunker bed

H001 capsule shelter

H004 expandable playhouse

H005 the sock

S005 clip-on hammock

S003 magic cloak

S006 drop box lobby

H002 pop-out tent

P002 friendly barrier

S001 dust-ruffle disguise

hacker-run agency providing documents to allow newly homeless people easier access to support services

RECOMMENDED FOR:NEWLY HOMELESS PEOPLE LACKING DOCUMENTATIONILLEGAL IMMIGRANTSHOMELESS ADVOCACY GROUPS

I001 IDENTITY RECLAMATION SERVICE

RECOMMENDED FOR:STREET HOMELESS PEOPLE

ARTISTSNYC MATERIALS FOR THE ARTS

IOO2 MATERIALS REDISTRIBUTION CENTER

APPLICATION FOR SUPPORTIVE HOUSING

I.D.

SUPPORT SERVICES

SUPPORTIVE HOUSING: APARTMENT

RENTAL ASSISTANCE

JOB CONSULTATION

approved

construction sites

electronicsfilm studios

corporationsrestaurants

officestheaters

supermarkets

retail storesindividuals

MAMAAAMAMAM TTETETETETERIRIRRIRIALALAALALSSSS

recycling center providing materials for the currently homeless in constructing their own shelters or for artists in need of supplies

I.D.

RECOMMENDED FOR:AT-RISK JOB SEEKERSEX-CONVICTSGENERAL POPULATION

I003 SECOND LIFE

LEARNTECHNICALSKILLS

SURF

THE WEB

electronics refurbishmenttech service renewing and upgrading donated used computers and cell phones for distribution to at-risk and homeless populationsex-con job trainingtechnical instruction sessions for the formerly incarcerated internet cafejob placement and social networking website access

X001 HEALTH PORTAL

RECOMMENDED FOR:OUTPATIENTSAT-RISK HOSPITAL/DETOX CENTER RESIDENTS

STUDY LOFT / LOOK-OUT POINT

KID-SAFE PLASTICCLIMBING STRUCTURE

TV / COMPUTER MONITORSFOR MOVIES AND GAMES

MULTI-PURPOSE SOFT PADS

BRANCH STRUCTURE IS EASILYDISASSEMBLED AND REASSEMBLEDFOR FLEXIBILITY INPARTITIONING PLAY SPACEOR FITTING TO A SMALLER ROOMREFURBISHED LAPTOP

WITH VIDEO CHAT CONNECTIONTO PSYCHIATRISTS/DOCTORS

a b

a b

DAY-BY-DAYPILL DISPENSERCLIPS ONTO BATHROOMVANITY

RECOMMENDED FOR:DEPT. OF HOMELESS SERVICES DROP-IN CENTERS

DAYCARE PROVIDERSPEDIATRICS OFFICES

XOO2 FUNLAND DAYCARE

cheap, modular system of climbing structures, ball pits, video arcades, and study hall quiet zones to destigmatize drop-in centersfor children and provide adults with some downtime

in-home medical station for video conferencing with psychiatrists and doctors, measuring vital signs, and dispensing medication

roving shuttleNYC taxis and buses providing free fares from drop-in cities to housing locations for homeless families entering DHS to make entry more comfortableoutreach outletsNYC buses and subway cars retrofitted with domesticated streetscapes providing mobile services for homeless people

X003 TRANSIT FLEET

RECOMMENDED FOR:DROP-IN CITY CLIENTSSTREET AND SUBWAY HOMELESS RESIDENTS

RECOMMENDED FOR:DROP-IN CITY CLIENTS

XOO4 CHECK-IN PLATFORM

elevator retrofitted to contain DHS registration desk and free cell phone distribution, providing quick and convenient check-in experience

FREEFOR DHSCLIENTS

FREE

CELL PHO

NE

FOR QUAL

IFIED

CLIENTS

MOBILEDOMESTICATEDSTREETSCAPEUNIT

DROP-IN CITYCHECK-IN

WELCOME!

big-box retail center stocking domesticated streetscape products, retrofitted shoppingcarts, and other useful tools for navigatinghomelessness (discounts available for DHS clients); embedded model house

D001 FLAGSHIP STORE

RECOMMENDED FOR:HOMELESS AND AT-RISK PEOPLEGENERAL POPULATION

RECOMMENDED FOR:DEPT. OF HOMELESS SERVICES

PARENTS WITH CHILDREN IN FOSTER CAREGENERAL PUBLIC

DOO2 MODEL HOUSE

attic officeupstairs administrative space for building and program managementlife skills kitchencooking and cleaning classes for homeless people and parents with children in foster care basement laundromatpublic laundry machines to provide useful services during DHS application waiting period

BASEMENTLAUNDROMAT

ATTICOFFICE

FLAGSHIPSTORE

MODELHOUSE

DOMESTICATEDSTREETSCAPEPRODUCTS

LIFE-SKILLSKITCHEN

DHS CLIE

NTS:

SHOP HER

E

surveillance spacedata lab for undercover gov’t employees who befriend and live with street homeless people in order to stealthily convince them to find shelter through DHS; agency collects data on the difficult-to-track street homeless populationclean-cut bathroompublic changing areas and toilets, including clean-cut disguise kits and covert entrance to the agency


G001 SECRET AGENCY

RECOMMENDED FOR:HOMELESS SUBWAY RESIDENTS

SUBWAY RIDERS

secret agenthomeless man

But the new element is potentially controversial. The Department of Homeless Services, under its new commissioner, Robert Hess, has identified 73 makeshift

encampments, including 30 in Manhattan, to which roughly 350 homeless men and women -- of a total homeless population of about 3,800, according to the city's la

count -- return nightly.

Most of the encampments are little more than collections of cardboard boxes, or tarpaulins hung over a beam, officials said.

Now, working with community and faith-based organizations, the city plans to work more aggressively to persuade people to leave those areas and enter housing,

treatment programs or shelters.

The vigorous focus on the street population is an unusual approach that Mr. Hess brings from his time supervising services to adults in Philadelphia, where he built

reputation for reducing the number of people living on the streets.

The strategy, which officials say has been tried in only a few cities, reflects a growing consensus that a small number of long-term, chronically homeless people ac

for a large share of the medical care and other services required by the homeless population over all.

Officials stopped short of saying that they would force people off the streets, but they do plan to clear the makeshift dwellings and make them inaccessible for othe

return.

"We're going to let them know that their days on the streets must come to an end," Mr. Bloomberg said in an address to the annual conference of the National Alli

to End Homelessness. "And we'll secure and clean up the places where they've been bedding down, to make sure that they won't be occupied again."

Over the past four years, officials said, the administration has worked to shift its focus from improving and expanding shelters toward more permanent solutions.

effort has included the use of supportive housing -- or housing that affords a range of on-site social services -- and a program called HomeBase, which offers flex

subsidies or other support for people at risk of homelessness.

Mr. Hess would not give the precise locations of the sleeping areas -- most of them out of sight of the public -- that the city plans to target, out of respect for the p

who stay in them, he said.

But officials said that some of the sites are already familiar to the department's teams of outreach workers and that they will coordinate with the Police and Sanit

Departments and with transit officials to identify other sites, both outdoors and in vacant buildings.

One site, near Riverside Drive in Upper Manhattan, is known to homeless workers as the Bat Cave. Lately, it has been home to at least four people, including G

Anderson, 44, who sleeps on a discarded bed propped on milk crates. Monday afternoon, sitting on a red velveteen bedspread, she said she would gladly accept

mayor's offer of more permanent housing.

She said it was "time to be out" of the cave.

"I will drop it like it's hot," she said. "This is not no life adventure for me. We're just passing through."

City outreach workers stopped by a few days earlier, she said, and had the people in the encampment fill out paperwork needed to get apartments.

Her boyfriend, who would give his name only as Country, was more skeptical of the offer.

"This is America," he said as he loaded 12 garbage bags full of cans and bottles onto a large rolling cart. "This is living off the land. That's how we built this th

The largest group of street homeless identified by city workers, 195, is in Manhattan, officials said, spread over 30 locations. In the Bronx there are 54 people

12 sites; in Brooklyn, workers identified 45 people in 10 areas; in Queens they found 40 people at 10 sites; and in Staten Island, they identified 24 people gath

11 spots.

The city estimates that it will take six months to a year to clear the often-squalid locations, which will then be secured with fencing or other methods, said M

who appeared with the mayor at a news conference after Mr. Bloomberg's speech. Both men emphasized that they would not forcibly remove people, pointin

there are legal barriers to doing so.

"The objective is not in any way to force people from one area to another," Mr. Hess said. "It is to take a social service intervention strategy approach to help

make a decision to move from these very unhealthy encampments."

THE NEW YORK TIMES Jul 18, 2006

Homeless in City Face New Effort To Clear Streets

Publisher: The New York Times

By: Diane Cardwell (Leslie Kaufman and Matthew Sweeney contributed reporting for this article)

“Working with community and faith-based organizations, the city plans to work more aggressively to persuade people to leave [homeless encampments] and enter housing, treatment programs, or shelters.”

“The objective is not in any way to force people from one area to another,” Mr. Hess (Director of NYC Dept. of Homeless Services) said. “It is to take a social service intervention strategy approach to help people make a decision to move from these very unhealthy encampments.”

camouflage gear for sleeping under subway benches without being noticed

set of disguise tools housed in a false bookdesigned to deflect police attention when making one’s home in public; includes inflatable maternity body suit for women and clip-on collar, tie, and shirt cuffs for men


S001 DUST-RUFFLE DISGUISE

RECOMMENDED FOR:STREET HOMELESS PEOPLE

SOO2 CLEAN-CUT KIT

comfortable, warm, convertible garment equipped with health-monitoring devices and utility pockets for protection from weather, police, and sharp objects

CLOAK

removable inner layerPolartec fleece liningwaterproof outer layer

reversible for in/visibility

CONVERTIBLEGARMENT

STUFF SACK / PILLOW CASE

BLANKET

SLEEPING BAG

REVERSIBLEOUTER LAYERFOR INCREASED IN/VISIBILITY

elastic draw-cordsclose sleeping bag

expandablemidsectionunzips foradded leg room while sleeping

draw-cord

waterproof documentholder w/ secret pocket

hydration sleeveand flask holder

handwarmer holder

utensil organizer(shown here: dining utensils and pen)

utensil organizer(shown here: flashlight,screwdriver, thermometer

all-purpose pocket(shown here: Peak-Flow health monitoring device)

money holder

cigarette andlighter pockets

cell phone pocket

one-week pillorganizer

softwaterproofcasing

waterproofbill

Velcro collarprovidesincreasedprotection

fleece-linedhood withadjustabledraw strings

thick, waterproofouter layer designedto withstand harshurban elements whileproviding comfortand warmth

camo grey / safety orange

classic grey / safety orange

RECOMMENDED FOR:LIVING ON THE STREETCAMPING OUTDOORS

S003 MAGIC CLOAK

modular foldable cushions for commuters or the homeless to sit or sleep more comfortably on hard subway car bucket seats and to make emergency overnights at drop-in centers more comfortable

suspension system for sleeping in subway cars

LIGHTWEIGHT

AND PACKABLE

!

RECOMMENDED FOR:HOMELESS SUBWAY RESIDENTSDROP-IN CENTERSCOMMUTERS

S004 SOFT SEAT


SUBWAY RIDERS

SOO5 CLIP-ON HAMMOCK

storage/locker system shared with travelers to eliminate danger of theftduring overnight stays; doubles as mailboxand address for homeless individuals

RECOMMENDED FOR:STREET HOMELESS INDIVIDUALSDROP-IN CITY CLIENTSBUSINESS TRAVELERS TOURISTS

S006 DROP BOX

retrofit unit for multi-family buildingsserves as a boutique hotel room; incomegenerated goes towards tenant eviction relief until needed as guest room for 1 of 4adjacent families at-risk of overcrowding

RECOMMENDED FOR:BUSINESS TRAVELLERSHOMELESS/AT-RISK GUESTS

HOO1 CAPSULE SHELTER

SLOTS INTO AN EXISTING BUILDING!

Proceeds from capsule hotel can be distributedthrough evictionrelief and rentalassistance pro-grams to tenants

BUSINESSHOTELENTRANCE

BUSINESSHOTEL EXIT

RE-POSITIONSTAIRS TOACCESSBATHROOM

RE-POSITIONSTAIRSTO EXIT

BATHROOMENTRANCE

APT.2 ENTRANCE

APT.3 ENTRANCE

APT.1ENTRANCE

RE-POSITIONSTAIRSTO SWITCHUNIT OWNERSHIP

APT.4 ENTRANCE

EVEN FL.TYP.

ODD FL.TYP.

3

HOTELENTRANCE

1 2 4

APT. ENTRANCE

APT. ENTRANCEAPT.

ENTRANCE

APT. ENTRANCE

BATHROOMUNIT

SLEEPINGUNIT

ENTRANCE UNIT (HOTEL) +STORAGE CLOSET (AT-RISK)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE

fold up table

tent pops open connect to top anchorand inflate mattress

occupy!

pop out of window secure platform unfold flaps

popping open

deployed unit

quickly deployable window box guestroom for children and friends and family of those at-risk

FORIMMEDIATEHABITATION!

1

5 6 7

2 3 4

RECOMMENDED FOR:FAMILES WITH CHILDRENHOMELESS GUESTS

HOO2 POP-OUT TENT

enclosure for bunk bed ensuring privacy in shared bedrooms for families of at-risk people

packable furniture for overcrowded apartmentsvarying expansions accomodate differentactivities: reading cubby, office/study, sleeping quarters, and playroom

RECOMMENDED FOR:FAMILES WITH CHILDRENHOMELESS/AT-RISK GUESTS

shoes

documents

nightstand

toiletries

clothes

homeless

guest

friend/family

STAIRS STORAGE

HOO3 BUNKER BED

RECOMMENDED FOR:FAMILES WITH CHILDREN

HOMELESS/AT-RISK GUESTS

HOO4 EXPANDABLE PLAYHOUSE

WORK!

PLAY!SLEEP

!

READ!

soft structure which pulls inside out, partitioning or expanding crowded apartments

RECOMMENDED FOR:FAMILES WITH CHILDRENHOMELESS GUESTS

HOO5 THE SOCK

inside/

/out

full coverage subway car ads displaying the scale of homelessness in New York City

soft, huggable “cozy” cover for chain-link fences; built-in information screens provide phone numbers and locations of drop-in centers, shelters, and treatment programs to avoid alienating displaced homeless people and to provide comfortable resting spots forpassersby

NEED H

ELP?

DIAL 3

11NEED H

ELP?

DIAL 3

11

DHS INFO PORTALNEED HELP?DIAL 311


P001 WALLPAPER AWARENESS


POO2 FRIENDLY BARRIER

ON AN AVERAGE DAY,36,000 PEOPLE ARE HOMELESSIN NEW YORK CITY

CATALOGUE B: CURRENTLY HOMELESS

= +

CASE STUDY:QUEENS COMMUNITY DISTRICT 12

What about housing the currently homeless? Building afford-able, permanent homes for those New Yorkers waiting for housing in shelters or on the street is essential to ending the systemic cycle of homelessness in the city. What kind of model makes sense for this type of housing? These ques-tions are most effectively answered on a case-by-case basis, at the local level. This case study considers the question of housing for homeless families in Queens from three perspectives: mapping (site location), game design (breakdown and re-construction of a system microcosm), and architecture (schematic design project). This research points to a model of mixed use, mixed income housing incor-porating a responsibility imperative, both for and from the homeless population.

SHARED GRAYWATERTREATMENT UNITSIRRIGATE FLOWER BEDS

PRIVATE PARKING SPOTSFOR EACH UNIT

FILTERED EXHAUSTFUNNELED THROUGHGRATES PROVIDESWARM ZONES OUTDOORS

I.D.

DOMESTICATED STREETSCAPE

# homeless families per 1000 householdsper census tract (1999-2003)source: VERA Institute of Justice Understanding Family Homelessness in NYC (9/2005)

I.D.

I.D.

I.D.

316

412

305

203

201

209

205

204

110

303

75502550

I2

D1

D2

D3

D4

D5

D6

D7

D8

D9

D10

D11

I5

I6

I1

I3

I4

S1

S2

S3

DROP-IN CENTERS

MANHATTANGrand Central Neighborhood120 East 32nd StreetNY, NY 10017

John Heuss House42 Beaver StreetNY, NY 10004

Olivieri Center for Women257 West 30th StreetNY, NY 10001

The Open Door402 West 41st StreetNY, NY 10036

Neighborhood Center for Homeless People237 East 77th StreetNY, NY 10028

Peter’s Place123 West 23rd StreetNY, NY 10011

Project Rescue315 BoweryNY, NY 10003

BRONXThe Living Room890 Garrison AvenueBronx, NY 10011

BROOKLYNBond Street Drop-In Center39-41 Bond StreetBrooklyn, NY 11201

The Gathering Place2402 Atlantic AvenueBrooklyn, NY 11233

STATEN ISLANDProject Hospitality Drop-In Center25 Central AvenueStaten Island, NY 10036

D1

D2

D3

D4

D5

D6

D7

D8

D9

D10

D11

INTAKE LOCATIONS

FAMILIES WITH CHILDRENPrevention Assistance and Temporary Housing (PATH) Office346 Powers AvenueBronx, NY 10454

FAMILIES WITHOUT CHILDRENAdult Family Intake Center(AFIC)29th Street and 1st AvenueManhattan, NY 10016

MEN30th Street Intake400-430 East 30th StreetNY, NY 10016

WOMENBrooklyn Women’s Shelter116 Williams AvenueBrooklyn, NY 11217

Franklin Shelter1122 Franklin AvenueBronx, NY 10456

Jamaica Armory93-05 168th StreetJamaica, NY 11434

BUILDING SITES

I2

I3

I4

I5

I6

I1

EXISTING

PROPOSED

TRAVEL PATTERN:HOMELESS FAMILY

INTAKES FROM QN12

S1

AIRTRAIN STATIONJamaica & Sutphin BlvdJamaica, NY 11435

S2

YORK COLLEGE9420 Guy R Brewer BlvdJamaica, NY 11451

S3

QNS VILLAGE COMMITTEEOutpatient Clinic/Detox Center16204 South RdJamaica, NY 11434

I.D.

primary site

secondary site

parks + public land

deployed weapon

drop-in city

S1

S2

S3

I6

I.D.

potential distribution of deployed weapons over 1 year: last addresses of homeless families before entering NYC Department of Homeless Services sheltersource: VERA study, extrapolated from 4 years of data

site identification: 1. Airtrain (guesthouse)2. QNS Village Committee clinic (housecall)3. York College (homestay)

I6

I6

INTAKE LOCATIONS

WOMENJamaica Armory93-05 168th StreetJamaica, NY 11434

2

3

1

S1S1

AIRTRAIN STATIONJamaica & Sutphin BlvdJamaica, NY 11435

S2

S2

YORK COLLEGE9420 Guy R Brewer BlvdJamaica, NY 11451

S3

QNS VILLAGE COMMITTEEOutpatient Clinic/Detox Center16204 South RdJamaica, NY 11434

BUILDING SITES

I.D.

S3

PROPOSAL:HOUSING FOR JAMAICA CENTER

from houses to housing: locating underutilized space in existing (and successful) house types onsite in Jamaica Center, Queens, yields a denser, moreefficient model for housingdrawing from models of family interdependency(guest houses, caretaker relationships, and college homestays) provides a basis for unitswith built-in responsibility contracts thatbenefit dependants and offer the possibilityof additional income for homeowners

40 COLLEGE STUDENTS10 FOSTER CARE GRADS

20 BUSINESS TRAVELLERS30 GENERAL SINGLES

15 INPATIENT/OUTPATIENT10 MENTAL HEALTH/DETOX

MODEL HOMESTAYGUEST HOUSE HOUSE CALL

TYPOLOGY SHARED BEDROOM + BATHBEDROOM + BATH + MINIBAR BEDROOM + BATH + FULL KITCHEN

FAMILY-PROVIDED SERVICES MEALSCLEANING CHECK-IN / EMERGENCY CONTACT

STAY INCREMENT 1 SEMESTER1 DAY 1 YEAR

YORK COLLEGEAIRTRAIN QNS VILLAGE COMMITTEESITE

175300 150

125250 125

5050 25MARKET-RATE CONSTITUENCY (1-2)

1-2

SUPPORTED CONSTITUENCY (1-2)

FAMILIES

HOMELESS CONSTITUENCY

SINGLES/COUPLES

3-6

4-8

DETACHMENT

STOOP

PARKING SPOT

STREET

SIDEWALK

BEDROOMROOF

BASEMENT

LIVING ROOMFRONT YARD

BACK YARD

BACK YARD

DETACMENT

STREET

SIDEWALK

BEDROOM

BASEMENT/ATTIC

BASEMENT/ATTIC

ROOF

INVERT HOUSE

LIVING ROOM

CONDENSE FOOTPRINT:EXPAND STREET INTO AND ONTO HOUSE

PARKING SPOT

FRONT YARD

STOOP

BACK YARD

FRONT YARD

DETACHMENT

BEDROOM

ROOF

LIVING ROOM

SIDEWALK

STOOP

STREET

DOUBLE RESIDENTIAL DENSITY: STACKHOUSES

REPROGRAMATTIC FORSUPPORTIVEHOUSING +PROVIDE ACCESSTO NEW UNITS:INVERTHOUSES

MAINTAINLOW HEIGHT:SHIFT + TILEHOUSES

MAINTAINDETACHMENT:OFFSETHOUSES

MAINTAINUNIFIEDSTREETSCAPE:ELEVATESTREET

extending and elevating the streetallows for increased density and providesparking beneath perforated streetscape

LEVEL 1 +0’

CHECK-IN PLATFORM

MATERIALSREDISTRIBUTION CENTER

EXISTING GAS STATION

EXISTING HOUSES

PREDICTEDDEVELOPMENT

FUNLAND DAYCARE

CHECK-IN PLATFORM

FRIENDLY BARRIER

CLEAN-CUTPUBLIC BATHS

EMPTYLOT

TRANSIT FLEETDROP OFF

LEVEL 2+24’

CHECK-IN PLATFORM

CLIP-ON HAMMOCK FOREST

CHECK-IN PLATFORM

WALLPAPER AWARENESSCAMPAIGN

SOFT-SEATING AUDITORIUM

DROP-BOX LOCKERS

by inverting top row of houses,access points for multiple unitsconverge at streetscape, increasingdensity of use around communal stoopareas. stoops extend into houses,serving as internal circulation andflexible dividers between units withinhouses when necessary

FRIENDLYBARRIERS

WALLPAPERAWARENESSCAMPAIGN


FRIENDLYBARRIER

FRONT YARD(PUBLIC)

BACK YARD(PRIVATE)

BUNKER BED(ADULTS)

THE SOCK

CLIP-ONHAMMOCK

CLEAN-CUT KIT

EXPANDABLEPLAYHOUSE(CHILDREN)

DUST-RUFFLEDISGUISE


DUST-RUFFLEDISGUISE

DROP-BOXLOCKERS


CAPSULE SHELTER

CLEAN-CUT KIT

DUST-RUFFLEDISGUISE

DROP-BOXLOCKERS

THE SOCK

THE SOCK

CLEAN-CUT KIT

DUST-RUFFLEDISGUISE

FOLD-DOWNLADDERTO ATTIC/BASEMENT

DROP-BOXLOCKERS

STOOP BEDROOMUTIL-ITIES LIVING ROOM

ROOF

UPSTAIRS

DOWNSTAIRS

ATTIC/BASEMENT

DOMESTICATEDSTREETSCAPELEVEL 3

DOMESTICATEDSTREETSCAPELEVEL 1

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site model shows configuration of housing, with variety of unit sizing and stoop frontage and connection of domesticated streetscape to current street.architectural stencils for domestic spaces representprogram zones in streetscape inspired by catalogue items such as the soft seating auditorium and the clip-on hammock forest

APPENDIX:ArchAttacks!

Data Collection and Game Design

set of 101 cards defining identities forgame players: currently homeless individuals,those at risk of homelessness, average NewYorkers, power players, institutions, andterritoriesinformation collected: name, quotation,mission, strategies, tactics, resources, power level, location

100

250

108

9

150

1

AMASS TROOPSDRAW A CARD FROM THE CHARACTER STACK TO DEVELOP YOUR ARMY

FORM AN ALLIANCE WITH ANY CHARACTER WHO OPERATES IN YOUR TERRITORIES IN ORDER TO POOL RESOURCES AND ACT COLLECTIVELY

APPLY FOR FUNDINGCHARACTERS SUBMIT APPLICATIONS OF INTENT TO REDEEM VOUCHERS FROM DHSINSTITUTIONS SUBMIT APPLICATIONS FOR $10,000 VOUCHER BONUS FOR EVERY 5 HOMELESS OR AT-RISK CHARACTERS IN ITS ALLIANCE NETWORK

BUILD WEAPONS ARSENALWITH YOUR CHARACTERS’ DHS HOUSING ALLOWANCES OR YOUR INSTITUTION’S BUDGET

MASS-PRODUCE WEAPONSBUY UP TO 5 WEAPONS WHICH YOU ALREADY OWN FOR .75 THE PRICE OF THE ORIGINAL

DEPLOY A WEAPONIN YOUR OR YOUR ALLIES’ TERRITORIES

CRISIS ZONEEVERY 5TH TURN, EACH PLAYER ROLLS THE DICE, EXPERIENCING A CRISIS AND CORRESPONDING TERRITORY SHIFT FOR ONE AT-RISK CHARACTER

DEAL 7 CARDS TO EACH PLAYER1 TERRITORY1 INSTITUTION5 CHARACTERS

DISTRIBUTE OCCUPANCY TOKENSAMONG CHARACTERS, COLOR-CODED BY PLAYER, ACCORDING TO DEALT CARDS1 DOUBLE BED FOR EVERY COUPLE1 SINGLE BED FOR EVERY ADULT OR CHILD

LAND GRABSTAKE OUT CHARACTERS’ TERRITORIES WITH TOKENS

ALLOCATE VOUCHERSDHS TREASURER GIVES EACH HOMELESS OR AT-RISK CHARACTER A VOUCHER WORTH $13,000**

AVAILABLE FUNDING***

$1,000,000 FOR FAMILIES $800,000 FOR SINGLE ADULTS VARIABLE INSTITUTIONAL BUDGETS

4-6 FIELD OFFICERS 1 DOUBLES AS NYC DEPT. OF HOMELESS SERVICES (DHS) TREASURER

100 CARDS*

37 AT-RISK SINGLE ADULTS + FAMILIES 25 HOMELESS SINGLE ADULTS + FAMILIES 14 AVERAGE NEW YORKERS 2 POWER PLAYERS 13 INSTITUTIONS 9 TERRITORIES250 WEAPONRY PLAYING PIECES (25 TYPES x 10 EACH)108 OCCUPANCY TOKENS (102 SINGLE + 6 DOUBLE BEDS) 9 TERRITORY BOARDS150 FUNDING VOUCHERS WORTH $13,000 EACH 1 PAIR DICE

POWER PLAYThere are 2 power player cards mixed into the character deck: Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Pataki. Use these cards to ally and pool resources with other institutions under city and state control.

THINK TANKInvent your own weapon! Call a vote on the terms and price - a majority of players must agree to put it into play. Sell your new weapon as an extra source of income.

GROUND UPFed up with institutional red tape?Pool your resources and start a grass-roots institution for $100,000. Get it unanimously approved and use it to gain the upper hand.

ARMY

OCCUPY QN12BY DEPLOYING 20 WEAPONS, WITH AT LEAST 1 WEAPON DEPLOYED FOR EACH CHARACTER IN YOUR HAND

* division of cards based on conditions of homelessness in NYC ** average amount spent on supportive housing per tenant per year*** figures based on % of DHS FY07 budget for 100 QN12 constituents

1 eviction SHELTER/CHURCH/DROPIN/ST./SUBWAY2 overcrowding 3 domestic violence 4 family discord 5 unlivable conditions 6 lose job 7 lose housing subsidy 8 illegal lockout 9 substance abuse STREET/SUBWAY/HOSPITAL10 physical health problems HOSPITAL11 mental health problems 12 incarceration JAIL/PRISON

Name

“Quotation.”

CONSTITUENCY TYPE

ENEMIES

ALLIES

WEAPONRY

MISSIONTACTICSRESOURCESLOCATIONTHREAT

pamphlet providing game rules outlines thefield in which players act within the game, exposing possible locations for intervention

3 foldup playing piece types based onthe typical housing available onsite in Jamaica, Queens:12’, 16’, and 20’ wide 2 story detached houses with attics and/or basements,peaked roofs, etc.

a

cd

cd

b

ab

a

c d

c d

b

a b

a

cd

cd

b

ab

homeless catalogue

Documents