Design Goal
- Homeless people come from very diverse backgrounds, and every person had a unique pathway into homelessness.
- While the basic needs of food and temporary shelter are currently being met for most homeless people, their higher needs, such as a sense of belonging and self-esteem are not.
User Perceptions
- Many facilities, including CFH, have barriers that keep homeless people from using them, especially strict drug and alcohol rules
- Users desire services that are convenient, free, with few questions asked.
Problems/Needs/Opportunities
- Substance abuse and mental illness are huge barriers to conforming to rules and consistent behavior
- Unemployed users have excessive free time during the day when they are idle. This lack of purpose creates opportunities for people to get in trouble.
- Many homeless people use the same resources every day – soup kitchens, showers at the church, and the weather amnesty program. These provide opportunities for touch points to connect with users.
- Users have very little guidance from family, friends, or counselors, and many do not think about long-term plans to exit homelessness.
Functional Attributes
- The solution needs to be flexible and able to personalized based on mental illness, substance abuse, etc.
Constraints
- The source and amount of funding will be a major constraint in thinking about solutions. Unfortunately, we do not yet have an idea of how much is a feasible amount we could work with.
- Our solution will focus specifically on the homeless in South Bend who are currently unsheltered
- Our solution will focus on users who are willing, but not yet able to exit homelessness. This may exclude those who feel complacent in their current homeless situation.
- Our solution will not be able to meet all of the individualized needs of homeless people. We will need to focus on specific, actionable, and common needs.