Idea 1 – “A Man’s Best Friend”
Solution: Set up a volunteering partnership between the homeless and the Humane Society. This would mutually benefit the pets, who would get extra time with caring humans, and the homeless, since interacting with pets can reduce stress.
Prototype Plan: Create a story board
- Step 1: Help users apply for volunteering role (at soup kitchen)
- Step 2: Pass out bus pass to get users from soup kitchen (at breakfast or lunch) to Humane Society
- Step 3: Users receive training on volunteering protocols
- Step 4: Users volunteer at Humane Society, interacting with animals (feeding, walking, playing, etc.)
- Step 5: Users receive bus pass to return to downtown South Bend after volunteering shift
- Step 6: Users get on bus and return to downtown
We will create the storyboard and show it to users at a Soup Kitchen to get feedback on their thoughts.
Idea 2 – “Coach Holtz, for your life”
Solution: Pair homeless with “life coaches” or mentors who can provide social support and connections to resources. This role could be filled by a variety of people – student volunteers, church volunteers, social workers, etc.
Prototype plan: Role Play
-We will role play what the interaction would look like between a homeless person and the mentor role. We will role play with 3 different types of people as the mentor: student volunteer, church volunteer, and social worker
-The mentor will listen to the homeless people’s stories to build a relationship, provide support, and encourage them to think long-term about their life plans
Idea 3 – “Work out til you break out”
Solution:Promote physical and mental health, as well as community, among the homeless on a regular basis through a free workout class.
Prototype plan: Role Play + Story Board
-We will role play what the entice, enter, & engage experiences would entail for an exercise class for the homeless. We will try multiple different types of exercises, including basketball, football, weight lifting, and yoga/meditation
-We will also create a story board, and ask for user feedback about which type of exercise they most prefer