Project Brief

The Center for the Homeless may be able to improve the safety of the community and the homeless

population by connecting the homeless in the encampment with local services available to them

Initially, the scope will focus on finding root causes of homelessness in the population, such as

substance abuse or unemployment, with the goal of connecting them with local organizations and/or

services that can address these root problems. The Center for the Homeless will assess the needs of the

homeless in the encampment (such as food, shelter, and mental health services), their current knowledge of

available services, and any barriers preventing them from accessing these services

The project will seek to answer key questions including:

1. What are the current community resources available to this homeless population to address their

current needs?

2. What barriers prevent the homeless from utilizing these services?

3. Is there a need for new service programs to address the homeless population’s needs?

Our target users will include the homeless population outside of the local shelters, specifically the population

located in the encampment under the bridge in South Bend.

We will conduct in-person interviews with leaders at the Center for the Homeless as well as members of the

homeless population in South Bend.

1. Provide a stronger connection between local resources and the homeless population

2. Determine any opportunities for new services to meet the homeless population’s needs

3. Increase the safety of the community and the homeless population

1. Did we identify and reduce major barriers to accessing services for the homeless?

2. Did we increase knowledge and utilization of services by the homeless population?

3. Did we find any gaps in services offered to the homeless and come up with next steps?

A 5-person team will conduct the research and exploratory phase over 6 weeks, followed by the ideation and

prototype phase during the following 6 weeks.

Center for the Homeless Design Brief