The purpose of Design Resources for Homelessness case studies is to inform readers of innovations and lessons learned so that progress can be made in providing healing environments for those in crisis. They are intended for architects, interior designers, organizations renovating or constructing new facilities, researchers, teachers, and students.  These case studies may supplement visits to similar facilities, broadening knowledge of best practices that inform programming approaches and priorities.

 

These case studies focus on the lived experience of persons who inhabit the environment, with the intent of featuring those aspects of the architectural design that accommodate users’ and staff’s needs and influence people’s perceptions and recovery. 

 

With the lived experience in mind, these case studies communicate these environments as they are, with minimal aesthetic staging of their attendant photographs. Instead, these reports seek to communicate ways in which the reality of these interior spaces and nearby outdoor areas support dignity, self-esteem, empowerment, privacy, and personal control, and assist in stress management and general recovery.