R E V I B E
Residential assistanc e co-creative project with North London YMCA
Sarah. J Aashna. P Stacy. H Frenny. F
Disclaimer Names and images identifying hostel residents have not been included within this project in order to maintain their anonymity. All rights reserved. 2019 Š
Acknowledgment We would like to thank Meg Doherty from Fat Macy’s, and staff from the North London YMCA and all of the residents who kindly supported our work on the YMCA ‘Revibe’ Project. Without their involvement this project would not have been possible. We would also like to thank our tutors Cordula Friedlander and Paola Pierri for their constant support and encouragement.
Content
Introduction.......................................................................................................................06 Methodology......................................................................................................................08 Discovery Desk Research..................................................................................................................12
Ethnographic Observations..........................................................................................15 Ethnographic Interviews................................................................................................16 Visualising & Mapping....................................................................................................22 User Journey.....................................................................................................................24
Observation: Hostel........................................................................................................26 Developing Tools.............................................................................................................28
Discovery Process...............................................................................................................................34
Persona..............................................................................................................................38 User journey Map............................................................................................................40
Co-design Workshop......................................................................................................42 Findings.............................................................................................................................50
Reflections of Workshop................................................................................................52
Develop Opportunities...................................................................................................................56
Solution Concept.............................................................................................................60 Welcome Pack..................................................................................................................62
YMCA-Revibe Service.....................................................................................................64 Role Play............................................................................................................................66
Develop Service design Blueprint................................................................................................74 User Journey.....................................................................................................................78
Feedback on Final Delivery...........................................................................................80
Conclusion...........................................................................................................................82 References...........................................................................................................................86 Appendix.............................................................................................................................90
Introduction The initial project was based on a collaboration between St Pancras and Somers Town (London Borough of Camden) Living Centre, along with Director Sarah Elie and Professor Adam Thorpe from CSM (Design Against Crime Research). The challenge aimed to use service design methodology in order to engage local stakeholders and conduct research in order to gain understanding into the experiences of rough sleepers and the current support offer. The main aim of the project was to discover what the needs were within this particular group, finding opportunities to support people off the streets and giving this group of users a voice.
Background “...We have a moral duty to help all those sleeping rough on our streets, and we must not rest until, by working together, we have made sure no-one needs to sleep rough in London...” Mayor of London (GLA, 2018). The issue of rough sleeping has come to a head with the UK’s Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government new strategy proposing an approach and initiatives to tackle this issue (HMG, 2018). Both the UK Government and Mayor of London have set rough sleeping as a priority within their agenda to tackle homelessness. The need for action has led to the creation of the Homelessness Reduction Act, in order to encourage reforms leading to preventative measures and housing provision for those at risk.The Mayor of London has also committed to acting on this issue through building on current services and frameworks while ensuring measures are in place (GLA, 2018). Strategies proposed by the Government and London Mayor’s office have placed the focus on adults. As young people appear to be under represented little has been done to address preventative and actions required for homeless youth. No Nights Sleeping Rough Taskforce, one of the largest homelessness providers does not work with youth (New Horizons, 2018). Young people are some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Even more vulnerable are those who experience homelessness. These young people experiencing homelessness account for approximately 50% of those receiving services in England (Homeless Link ,2017).There are a number of challenges young people currently face in England which play a detrimental role in their ability to move towards independence and adulthood. Risks affecting youth 6
include poverty, welfare benefit reductions and lack of opportunities within the labour and housing markets. Within the wider project brief tackling rough sleeping, it is particularly important that we understand how to engage youth in preventing and reducing the negative impacts of homelessness and ensure they are on track for healthy life transitions (FEANTSA ,2017).
Statement of intent As the issue of youth homelessness was highlighted as a key concern for all stakeholders engaged in the project we used this parameter to help us define the scope of our project. We aimed to understand problem of rough sleeping and homelessness for the particular subset of young people currently living in the North London YMCA and through the design process outline opportunities for service improvement/product provision which would help address their needs.
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Methodology The framework used for this project was provided by the Double Diamond model. In accordance with this framework the project was carried out in four specific phases: Discover, define, develop and deliver (Design Council, 2007).
De
De
Defin
Dis co
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e
ver
ve l op
l iv
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1.0 Discover
The discovery phase has been highlighted as of key importance in defining the problem and understanding what might be addressed through the design process. In our work this process mainly consisted of desk research, conducting interviews with local people and those close to the issue of rough sleeping including local businesses, service providers, rough sleepers and those at risk of rough sleeping. Insights generated were then synthesized and shared both among the wider course group and with key stakeholders. For background materials and desk research along with interview transcripts see Appendix.
2.0 Define
In this phase the ideas, themes and directions of focus generated in the discovery phase were analysed and condensed by the group resulting in a clear problem definition. This was achieved through the development of personas and ‘how might we’ questions (Stickdorn, et al., 2018).
3.0 Develop
During this phase we prepared collaborative activities in response to the research questions ascertained in phase 2. We then refined four concepts addressing problems identified in previous phases. This was done through using personas, customer journeys and interactive idea development through prototyping. Insights, co-design workshops and further in depth interviews were used in order to test ideas with our user group.
4.0 Deliver
This final phase would look to launch the solution offered and include a final test phase and production. We provided a service blueprint as the refined concept along with project material used as the basis of our group report and presentation. We also provided a physical touch point in the form of welcome packs. Although, the Double Diamond provides a robust framework it is important to recognise the dynamic non-linear, iterative processes that occur in the real world. Whilst we attempted to implement the model with fidelity, at times this dynamism led to overlap within design stages (Best, 2006)
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Discover
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Desk research During the discovery phase of the project we explored a range of perspectives on homelessness within the literature and from camden and Haringey based services providing support to homeless people, local businesses, youth hostels and homeless people themselves. A major reason identified for youth homelessness was ‘family breakdown’. The lack of provision for those aged under 35 to gain full housing benefit and access to independent accommodation has led to many young people couch surfing or sleeping rough (HMG, 2018; Uscreates, 2018’ New Horizons).
Just because circumstances have
defined we’re homeless, we’re still people and we deserve the same things that everyone else gets.
- young person
4,981 yo u ng p e o p le 12
Fe m ale
M ale
28%
54%
1 8 -2 1 y rs
16 - 1 7 y rs
16 %
2 2 -24 y rs
S U P P O RT N E E D S
44% not in education employment or
16% lack of literacy
training.
20% lack
relationship skills
41% lack
independent living skills
16% mental
health problems
28% have
substance abuse
(Homeless Link, 2018) 13
Photos taken as part of initial ethnographic research, exploring area between Euston and Kings Cross 14
Ethnographic Research: Observation Our group met early in the morning in order to explore and observe the area surrounding Somerstown and learn more about homelessness in this area. Most of the people we observed were older than those we aimed to work with. This was in keeping with literature which suggests that although youth are at higher risk of homelessness they are also more hidden due to the stigma associated with rough sleeping (Embleton et al, 2016; New Horizons, 2018). On reflection we could not believe the high numbers of people we saw near the station and on the nearby streets. This prompted us to talk with those we saw around us to gain a broad range of perspectives of local stakeholders such as police and local businesses in order to understand more about the impact of rough sleeping in the area (See Appendix).
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Ethnographic Research: Interviews
“If they’re not stealing or begging I let them be” -Po l i ce at King s cro ss
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“I personally wouldn’t. I clean here every second Saturday. Usually the guys will leave it unless it’s causing a disturbance or is in the way. There is a number you can call if it’s causing trouble.”
- Street c lean er
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Yeah I was saving at that time cause that shelter they have me to open an account, all kinds of this stuff and then after that I do have a cause I needed a can to put when I give money to saving step by step. It was like I have been in the country I never have any issue … I don’t smoke I can drink but just occasionally. -J a c o b, 2 7
I’d like to be more conscious of money, find a job, generate money so I could save...With spending money I’m more free, need to learn to manage better. - G e o rg e, 19
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Well the thing is just I researched the legislation, house legislation because like it changes, and some of the things you don’t know about, and some of the stipulations you don’t know about. -J a c o b, 2 7
The most difficult part of being in the hostel is family- not seeing my daughter. The biggest hurdles are financial, finding a job and maintaining a job, I’ve had lots of jobs short term and all fall through…Just life, ups and downs...its hard to keep up in the downs.
-Maso n,36
Please refer to Appendix for full transcripts of interviews 19
Yeah I was saving at that time cause that shelter they have me to open an account, all kinds of this stuff and then after that I do have a cause I needed a can to put when I give money to saving step by step. It was like I have been in the country I never have any issue ‌, I don’t smoke I can drink but just occasionally. - A r c h i e, 32
The biggest fear is being controlled by the wrong person. I need a disability allowance. -Liam,26
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Trust, would be right up there as the biggest issue…really low-expectation of themselves, like confidence kind of stuff, they are not setting goals, and it’s a whole-day goal ,and nothing bad happened then that’s ok. It’s just like haven’t done anything and like “oh thanks god nothing awful happened.” And then I suppose the unhealthy relationships, lack of healthy relationships. -Lucy, s taff
They urinate on the station, they use the toilet inside the station. They’re disgusting! They try sleeping at the station at night. They’re obnoxious! They smell, half of them have got Hepatitis B or worse. They are obnoxious. They harass our passengers. -To m , N e t w o r k r a i l
Please refer to Appendix for full transcripts of interviews 21
Visualising and journey mapping with users following on from interview
Before being homeless
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Period of rough sleeping
Living at the YMCA
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Dessie’s journey: User journey based on initial exploration with staff member Through our connection with a social enterprise, Fat Macy’s we were able to build a relationship with a youth hostel responsible for housing young people from north London boroughs. Through this initial inquiry and open conversations with workers and staff we were able to learn that once young people had stable accommodation an opportunity existed to engage and offer support via internal activities and programs. A preliminary interview with a staff member suggested that whilst opportunities existed for skills development, addiction and wellbeing the hostel environment proved challenging. Mental health issues and addiction were also identified as barriers to engagement. Another issue raised was a young person’s inability to save enough money in order to move on from the hostel environment. With a lack of understanding into housing benefits some people who did work found out that they were in debt to the hostel. This scoping interview presented us with a preliminary journey which we were able to visualise into ‘Dessie’s story’ in order to explore issues in more detail with user groups.
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Dessie’s story He has a family meldown and leaves home
1
3
After a while, he moves into the shelter.
2
4
Sleeps rough on the street..
My loved ones are far.
unfriendly environment
Not enough support
5
He lacks Information access to move on from either local authorities or charities
6
Finally he gets reffered and is now moving into the hostel
Internet
Physical approach Phone call
7
One day he realises, he is in debt. He wonders how he got into this situation.
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Now he is actively seeking assistance to help him. Skills training
Benefit projects
Future plans
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Observation Exploring the North London YMCA environment, identifying opportunities to improve resident engagement. Notice boards are available but currently unused as a means of communication. There is very little use of common spaces and most areas are empty such as the dining area and activity rooms.
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North London YMCA, hostel environment 27
Developing tools for user engagement We used a range of tools and questioning techniques to further our understanding of issues experienced by this particular group of North London YMCA residents. We wanted to create opportunities to explore their personal stories which would promote inclusivity and respect. We therefore decided to keep things simple with little need for written activity and use of visual prompts and drawings (Johnson, et al, 2016; Stickdorn, et al., 2018).
Introduce characters with a talk. And maybe ask questions like “ How can batman save the day?” instead of the typical “what changes would you like to see in the system”? Or give a basic paperbot and ask a question on the lines of “What would you like your superpower to be? (as an Icebreaker question)
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Cultural Probes Research by anthropologists and ethnographers has often involved in depth exploration via cultural probes. We wanted to explore the use of multiple methods to enable people to tell us their story. Research has shown that visual forms of communication work best when attempting to explore understanding of people from other cultures, where there may be language or literacy barriers and to gain greater empathy through use of a visual medium (Robertson, 2008) Based on a previous study which explored the meaning of home for refugees, we suggested thirteen photos and left fourteen photos open to participants. In accordance with previous research we asked users to show us meaningful things in their lives. The requested photos followed examples such as: Take a picture of “something that is really important to you”; ”Something that makes you feel good”, “Something annoying/ frustrating” and “a place where you feel relaxed” as per table (see Table I, Fig 1)
Table 1: Questions on cameras used as cultural probes for users 29
Instructions: Get creative and put on your photography hat! No people in the shot, only objects or places. 1. Something that is really important to you 2. Something that makes you feel safe
3. Something that makes you feel good
4. Something that makes you feel at home 5. Something you ate today
6. A place where you feel relaxed
7. Something that you’re proud of 8. Somewhere that you hate 9. Something beautiful 10. Something boring
11. Something annoying/ frustrating 12. Something that’s helpful
13. A place where you spend a lot of time 14. Anything else you’d like to show us
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Output from cultural probes
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Define
32
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Process During this phase of the project insights from our desk research, interviews and observations were synsthesized and and a concise problem definition was formulated. Definition of the problem involved co-design workshop in which we invited residents and staff to jointly create a range of possible solutions and test which ones addressed their needs. 34
Initial HMW questions: How might we encourage people in the hostel to come share their skills and knowledge. How might we make it easier for people to get help/support well before risk of eviction? How might we make the hostel feel safe?
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Insights
e
ve Po s i t i m e nt nviron
I n fo r m at i o n access
F i n a n c i a l skills
Me nt al he alth & we ll -b ei ng
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Problem definition Residents are now seeking opportunities which might enable them to move onto the next stage of their life. Residents of the hostel lack important information to understand what can help support them in moving on.
Why does this matter? Without information they end up getting into debt or other kinds of trouble, they sit in their rooms and isolate themselves and are not engaged in the process of moving forward. This causes them to lose hope and give up and get into a negative cycle where addiction, low mood and other negative influences creep in.
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Persona Dessie, 32 yrs
Can’t get ahead in life “I’d really like to move forward with my life and move on from the hostel. It’s not the greatest place to be, and sometimes being here gets me down. I’d like to move things forward and have my own place.“
Background Dessie was fighting with his mother and had to leave home. He managed to attend his job while couch surfing among friends, but ran out of accommodation options. He couldn’t manage work shifts while sleeping rough on the street. He finally got a place in the hostel. Over that time, he found some work but that in turn affected his benefits. He is no longer working and is unable to save a deposit for his own accommodation
0. Leaves home
1. Search: Place to sleep
- Family - Relationship ends with partner
- Sleeps rough - At a carpark
Touchpoints
- Smart phone - Laptop
- Library - Online access
Experience
- Sleeping rough for many years - He wishes to stay closer to his daughter.
- Approached the housing council, was wait listed.
Emotion
- Helpless - Struggling
- Accepting the reality - Getting frustrated
Insights
- Rough sleeping can happen in bouts, it isn’t visible all the time.
- Lengthy process - Desperate
People & Organization
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Goals
Key insights
- Having his own house.
- Has not given up hope and will
- Being closer to his family.
keep going after it, but needs to
- Wants to be more cautious about
be pointed in the right direction.
his money.
- Need a positive environment to
- Wants to give back to the society.
live, along with people who are supportive. - Need help with life skills.
Challenges - Financial-has some trouble with budgeting. - Very often he feels stuck. He failed to get the right help at the right time. - Doing work overtime, leads to a reduction in the benefits. - This puts him in a situation where he finds it hard to find a way out.
2. Locates a temporary place to stay
4. Future plans
- Goes online and finds a temporary accommodation at a night shelter.
- Referred by shelter to No second night out. - Now at the North London YMCA.
- Smart phone - Word of mouth
- All the amenities at the YMCA. (Computers)
- Googles ‘night shelter’, then gets referred to No second night out.
-He as received a scholarship to university. - Wants to run an organization like Fat Macys.
- Wants to survive - Hopeful
- Feels very positive and self reflective.
- He wishes he would have a better environment - Eager for something more stable.
- “Being a buddy“, wants to help people who has a similar journey. 39
User Journey Map
Sleeping rough
Before the hostel
Moved into the shelter
Slept at a park and McDonalds
Relationship ended
Work status >>
40
No job security
Slept on the street
Unhappy with the environment at the shelter
Between jobs
During the hostel
Future plans
Wishes to move out and have a home.
Moved to the hostel
Received scholarship to a university.
Felt unhappy with the behaviour of some residents as well as the staff. At the same time, faced trouble managing the finances.
Seeking a stable job >> Completes training program
Starts university and works part time
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Co-design Workshop In order to create the best possible solution we understood that our design process would require collaboration across all stakeholder groups. From our desk research and interviews we gained a deep understanding and humility for homeless youth, the staff who worked in the hostel and lack of empowerment experienced within the system. The voices of homeless youth in particular were often missing from the dialogue and we felt the importance for any solution to come from the users themselves and for the session’s focus to be led by users. They led the conversation and it was our job as service designers to explore their thoughts and experiences to gain the best possible understanding of their situation (New Horizons, 2018; Muligan, 2012). Participatory design is a means of creating solutions which engage individuals in collaborative problem solving. With a focus on the strengths of individuals and capitalising on their wealth of first hand understanding of the issues, participatory design is a creates a holistic approach to empower people and drive change (Hubert, 2011). Our motivation for using participatory design principles stemmed from discourse into the role of design within social innovation and how it might be used to explore possibilities, create equality by democratising opinion and create the best possible solution for those at the heart of this issue (Shulman, 2012). Through engaging people in the process of design we hoped to create a space of empowerment and participation that would in and of itself form part of the change process (Howaldt and Schwartz, 2010).
(The full session outline can be seen in the appendix.) 42
Empowering people, Driving Change: Participatory Design 1. Solutions must focus on and be created with beneficiaries, preferably by them and never without them. 2. Focus on strengths of individuals and communities, not weaknesses. Capitalise on diversity of ethnicities, ages, religions, gender etc. 3. Develop a holistic approach rather than fragmented responses to diverse needs. 4. Reinforce and extend partnerships rather than individual responsibility. 5. Use collaborative working and networking to stimulate social innovation. 1. (Hubert, 2011)
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Co-design workshop with hostel residents, reps and staff
In line with our thinking we created a co-design workshop session with three aims: 1. To share what we had discovered so far. 2. To provide choices as to which pain point and area we should focus on in their journey and establish a HMW question 3. To gather input of residents and staff to create some viable solutions
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Co-design workshop Brain-storming + Care package. + Shop with everything. + Look & Feel needs to change. + Underlying incentive. + They need to see how it benefits. +Safe space to talk. + Open up. + How to manage themselves.
+ Money management + How might we engage the people who are moving on.
+ Think of ways to improve the environment in the hostel.
+ We had fun, there is no correct answer for art. 48
+ Learn how to communicate.
Mental health &
well-being
+’I was in pain’. + I am lucky to be here now. + Self care.
+ Volunteering to gain skills.
+ Physical Health, swimming. + A regular external counselor.
+ Treat everyone the same.
+ Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. + Empower people to empower themselves.
+ Make most of the time in the hostel.
+ We need to take more responsibility.
F i n a n c i a l ski lls
+ Need to know what already exists.
+ We need a creative outlet.
+ Encourage residents to be something more. + Regular external counselors access to therapies.
+ Fund raisers. + Don’t know where to seek help from.
+ “Learn coping methods.”
I n fo r m at i o n access
+ “We need access to information.” + “YMCA posters are shit, really look at it. +More of the good stuff.
+ “There is a notice board, no one really looks at it”. + “People connect with art.”
+ Empower fun, never + Staff needs more judge. support. +Turn the heat up. + More volunteers. + No point in mollycoddling. + Need to be treated like adults.
+ Underline incentives, attractive benefits. + Place of empowerment. + Vibrant environment. + Bubbly. + High energy.
Po s i t i v e
e nviro nm e nt
+ Tuck shop. + Teach people to be independent.
+ Not the right amount of space to run a session. + Sensitive to light.
+ Additional reps. + Accessible extras. + Currently, we have a poor diet.
+Care package. + Healthy food products. + Sanitary products. + Place needs a revamp. + Needs to feel homely. + More color. 49
Findings
Touch point
Financial skills
Mental health & wellbeing
Benefits worker
Key worker
Key worker
Via GP access to counseling and mental health support
Online information
Support via Facebook, support groups Residents sharing peer support
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What currently exists
Residents can seek support via worker
Residents can seek support via key worker, can attend yoga and do meditation session or Rubicon internal drug and alcohol session, they can also ask each other and discuss issues with Hostel Reps.
What residents propose
Knowing somewhere they can go to get an external advice and support.
Internal mental health support, counseling, CBT, self esteem sessions, Drug and alcohol support. They lack “healthy food” choices. They would like receiving a care package of essentials and basic hygiene kit which is given to them on a regular basis. They need to feel “Empowered”.
Team insights & potential solutions
Chat Bot to help them address: benefits , working and finances.
Residents Needs
A trusted source to seek financial information from.
Apt services community link, art therapy students to help facilitate sessions. Drug and alcohol ‘Rubicon’ group happening but residents don’t know or attend. Support for depression, anger and low self esteem, no stigmatizing support.
Information Access
Positive Environment
Notice board, carousel display
Notice boards
Patient leaflet holders
Session rooms
Reps and others in hostel
Doors
Key worker
Cafeteria
There is a notice board but no one really looks at it. Staff will contact them, if something is relevant and individually place flyer’s with info under doors, or text or call. If it involves everyone they won’t contact individually. Issues with facebook groups and whatsapp due to privacy and fights that occur.
There are renovated session rooms with incomplete decoration, no light fittings. Downstairs spaces with old mismatched furniture. A notice board and staff reception area ‘fish bowl’ style. Each door is the same colour and everything looks plain in the hallway. No colour or identifying features.
Re-design notice board and give people access to existing information. Online services even something as small as an email every week to communicate with them. They find it “annoying” to talk to their support workers, since they don’t get the response they hoped for. They are not receiving the 9hrs which they should be getting with the their social worker.
Revibe’ the hostel and create ‘a place of empowerment’ where residents can ‘revibe’ themselves. Have healthy snacks and meal options, have a ‘tuckshop’ where people can get access to sanitary pads, essential items if no money. Reps to get involved and create opportunities outside of staff. Connect with other residents either through art or music.
Plan to involve staff, service user reps and residents of hostel to re-design notice board and look into other digital calander notifications.
Links to external stakeholders and volunteer support. Discuss use of Crouch end cinema community room for activities.
To know what is happening and have access to the help and activities they need. They need to know their rights and what benefits they are entitled to.
A positive environment in which to rebuild themselves, a sense that residents are treated with dignity and respect and not treated differently. 51
Reflections of the workshop Although we were prepared for the session what occurred was an organic flow of events in which participants came and went contributing to our understanding of the four identified problem areas. Tools were not used as intended however served as visual cues and prompts for the discussion. We found that participants engaged in a range of ways from simply peering in to see what was happening to sharing stories and solutions. We took notes on their behalf and listened attentively to their contributions. There was a real buzz which filled the room as residents shared their ideas and the YMCA staff member also fed in to the session positively challenging assumptions. The workshop style led to an open discourse in which all opinions were valued and there was a sense of respect even when challenging some of the ideas presented. Ideas were built on and transformed rather than being shot down and destroyed and people felt comfortable enough to share more openly about issues around mental health and substance misuse that had not been identified openly in 1:1 interviews. Through listening and engaging in this way we were able to learn more about the culture of the hostel and what people valued and needed from the design process. This process was very much in line with the collaborative approaches echoed in both research into homelessness and social innovation led design approaches when working to empower community groups. From this session we were able to generate a few ideas which users felt could help address their underlying needs. Solutions came out of the collaborative process and discussions taking place in the session. We then agreed on 52
some ideas to create and work on for the following session. We aimed to complete a sprint in order to bring in prototypes and begin testing these concepts with residents and staff. (Emilson, et al., 2014; Homeless Link, 2018; Johnson, et al., 2016; Robertson, 2008). We were bound by the limitations of what we could realistically make and prototype within a one week deadline. This fast paced process echoed principles of agile and also lean methodology in which the aim is to create a minimum viable product with as little waste as possible for testing and further iteration (Agile Alliance, 2018; Kanbanize, 2018; Lean Methodology, 2018)
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Develop
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3 55
Opportunities Our Co-Designed How Might We Question How might we create a space of empowerment for the residents at the North London YMCA to ‘REVIBE’ themselves?
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We prototyped a “Welcome Package� as our first touchpoint, to be handed out by the Resident Representatives (Reps) at the hostel. These representatives are a human touchpoint, who are further along in the journey to move out of the hostel and are trusted by the other residents. Contained in this package are basic hygiene essentials ranked as a priority by residents from the hostel in co-design sessions. The packs also consist of a series of cards which would help direct residents to the right source of information.
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The second touchpoint, would be accessing the information via an online chatbot called “Ask Rob�. The user is now only a click away, all they have to do is scan the barcode which would lead them to a service suited best for them.
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The third touchpoint is a shared calendar which can be updated by the Social representatives at the YMCA and accessed by all the residents. The residents could choose to allow notifications to be enabled for the sessions which are of interest to them. We observed some of the sessions which might help the residents are currently being held at the hostel but the information was not passed on through the correct medium.
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Solution concept A co-design session resulted in a number of ideas for the contents and look of the welcome pack.
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Chosen idea for refinement We chose to focus on the welcome packs as this had potential to create the greatest impact for both staff and residents based on the feedback through co-design sessions. By creating the welcome packs we could provide a touch point that fosters engagement from the start of a residents journey, provides them with access to information sources and creates a sense of positive future.
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“The welcome pack”
Information cards Including the cards about basic information of the residence; emergency calling numbers; how to contact social workers or staffs; and online chatbot. In order to Åoffer a better and summed up information access to all new residents.
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Hygiene kit Including shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush and washing powder. Aiming at offering basic daily support for new residents.
Art kit Including pencils ,colorpens and a notebook. Aiming at provoking the residents passion to create or even to life, hence more tend to take part in relevant recreation sessions 63
The YMCA ‘Revibe’ Service: Peer support networks In the staff and resident workshops newly appointed resident reps identified a need for their role to include providing added support to residents. These reps are voted in on a ½ yearly basis by other hostel resident. The reps take on a leadership role and represent residents’ needs and views, providing feedback in YMCA staff meetings and to the board of directors. The recently appointed reps reported that they felt able to take on more responsibility and wanted to help support staff in creating a more positive environment. They discussed the many informal conversations they had on a daily basis with other residents in which they promoted YMCA activities. They discussed how they were also able to provide a trusted point of contact for residents to discuss openly other more personal issues such as finances, mental health and drugs and alcohol issues. Based on our understanding of the role we felt the reps could provide the cohesive human element required to enable our ‘Revibe’ service. Empowering the reps and providing a more formal structure to touch base and engage with the touch points would not only help establish the welcoming process but enable more open communication of information. Through developing clear guidance and training we would also enable service continuation once new reps were elected. Peer support is “a system of giving and receiving help founded on key principles of respect, shared responsibility, and mutual agreement of what is helpful” (Mead et al., 2001). Providing peer support through use of positive self-disclosure, empathy and role modelling, has been found to increase levels of hope, the sense of control, and self-efficacy in the lives of service users. Engagement with peer support workers has also been shown to increase self-care, community belonging, and overall satisfaction with other aspects of life while improving users’ mental health (Stroul, 1993; Davidson, et al., 2012). The element of peer support therefore became an essential component in creating a more positive environment and helping engage residents in activities to help them move forward with life. Promoting positive relationships is a key component of the ‘revibe’ service in which people who have had direct experience of a homelessness can help create positive engagement and a real opportunity for residents to ‘revibe’ themselves (Goldstorm, et al., 2006).
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Role playing scenarios: Refining service concept
YMCA residents
The reps team
YMCA staff
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Role play: Developing training for reps and staff 1st scenario: An old homeless person just arrives at hostel, the staff explains the welcome pack, but the old person is struggling to understand 2nd scenario: A young person comes into hostel, this person can’t read but they are to shy to say so...... 3rd scenario: A homeless person arrives that doesn’t speak a word of english, staff tries to present welcome pack (like in the two other scenarios) 4th scenario: Two people arriving at the same time and fighting because staff is busy taking care of one of them 5th scenario: a person who has been in the hostel for a while is having a problem, test out the chatbot (in order to do this have the homeless person talk out loud and an other person respond as the chatbot)
One method to ensure the service works as intended is the use of role play and service rehearsal. This enables exploration and change as service designers are able to look at issues in real time and explore and change accordingly. We role played our current service using a range of different scenarios (See Appendix). We then completed further testing of our service concept with staff and YMCA reps to ensure each element worked and made sense in their current context. Gaining greater understanding of how the service would operate through role play helped us troubleshoot elements of the process we had assume would work but did not in real life. Overall this process enhanced our final service offering (Stickdorn, et al., 2018)
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Role playing scenarios: Refining service concept
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Creating a training video for reps to ensure the service elements are understood by the delivery team. Having easy to access training content also ensures sustainability beyond the project and in periods of staff and rep turnover. We used feedback from staff and reps to create more inclusive visual content.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuTdbSOBBoo&feature=youtu.be
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Iterations of Welcome Pack Protoype 1: In our first iteration we produced a minimum viable product (MVP) in order to test our concept before further development. We used paper prototyping to assist in delivering our concept to staff, residents and reps.
Protoype 2: We decided to use over-size mail box for the first type of welcome box prototype mainly for its space. Two main drawbacks were size and cost. The residents also described the importance of colour in the design in order to be attractive and welcoming.
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Final Iteration: The final deliverable evolved into a colourful bag which adhered to the requirement of residents and was able to fit all of the required content compactly. We produced a bright and attractive welcome pack with the warmth of an engaging “smiling face� sticker (process shown in images below). One drawback is durability when compared to the strength of the box, though it met the requirements for short term use, ease of storage, low costs as well as being environmentally recyclable.
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Deliver
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Service Design Blueprint The delivery phase prepares stakeholders and users for the delivery of the service including all elements which have been created to improve the experience along the journey. Specific tasks were shown to staff, resents and reps using the service blueprint as a guide. All connections across touch points and stakeholders have been clarified in detail throughout the map. This can then be used by any staff and reps involved in supporting and delivering the service and can help ensure continuity amidst the high turnover which occurs within the hostel environment. The service blueprint: All involvement of touchpoints including physical and online mobile apps have been included within the main steps of the hostel resident’s journey.
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Aware
Engage
Understand w hat's available within hostel and try activities
Use online calander and get reminder via message, text from staff and reps door knock and invite
Calendar Mobile phone
Residents
week a rriving a t the hostel m eet w ith reps and r eceive welcome pack and learn about hostel activities
Channel/ touch points
Welcome pack Calendar Mobile phone
Calendar Mobile phone
Get in touch with residents via mobile or door knock to introduce themselves
Show new residents activities and explain information for hostel
Meet with residents and give keys and explain hostel rules and information
Text residents to inform of activities
Reps
Staff Line of visibility
Backstage activities
Staff and reps prepare welcome packs. Staff provide welcome packs to reps and inform when new residents arrive. Reps watch training video and understand role and how to deiver packs and information.
External support
Look for patners to support and contribute to welcome pack content
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Choose activity
Staff and reps update calander and tex mesage new residents
Take part in activities
Seek support
Contribute
Leave/ Move Out
good
Ask reps for help and information and advice, use chat bot and other online support apps
Becoming a rep: Volunteer to become a rep at resindet meeting and then get voted into rep position, watch training video on rep role, peer support and giving welcome packs
Moving out and into independent accomodation
Face to face Calendar Mobile phone
Face to face E-mail Mobile phones Chat bot
Video
Gain skills,
Facilitate/ support running of activities
Reps meet with residents and provide support and sign post to info/ other services face to face or online. Feedback to staff if major issue reported.
Offer support and handover role, show training video link to new reps and add to google calender
Facilitate/ support running of activities
Support and meet with residents
Support process of voting
Staff meet with reps and discuss issues
Partner with organisations offering activities and skills building
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User Journey
1.Within their first week arriving at the hostel meet with reps and receive welcome pack and learn about hostel activities
2.Understand what is available within hostel and try activities
3.Use online calander and get reminder via message, text from staff and reps door knock and invite.
4.Gain skills, confidence and feel good
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5.1Ask reps for help and information and advice
5.2 Use chat bot and other online support apps.
6.Becoming a rep: Volunteer to become a rep at resident meeting and then get voted into rep position, watch training video on rep role, peer support and giving welcome packs.
7.Moving out and into independent accommodation.
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Feedback on final delivery I think this is really good for people, to give motivation to people that are not doing much with themselves and it’s good to help them basically keep focus...and I’d like to find out more. - Re si de nts
This is very good! - Reps
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It makes a difference and the fact that they see people who are doing things and they see that they are the focus, it’s not just about the building and the maintenance but it’s actually about them. Anything that’s like that is always really really good. So if you send me that video that will be really good as well and I’ll circulate it. I’ll speak to people tonight! - Staff
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Conclusion How might we create a space of empowerment for the residents at the North London YMCA to ‘REVIBE’ themselves? Our project reflected the findings that young people who experience homelessness face a vast number of challenges when trying to break the cycle. Moving towards independence and adulthood is significantly hampered by entering a period of homelessness with poor mental health, addiction, poverty and benefits traps creating barriers for young people to move forward. There is a lack of faith in the system and in those providing Information and opportunities to enhance skills. With all the challenges facing young people experiencing homelessness it is easy to see how hope and motivation may be lost. The young people and staff member within this project reported that the hostel environment could be redesigned to provide a more positive environment for change to occur. When working with users we were able to see that the willingness, ideas and energy do exist for service improvement and work towards reducing the negative impacts of homelessness (FEANTSA ,2017; New Horizons, 2018). We aimed to understand problem of rough sleeping and homelessness for the particular subset of young people living in the North London YMCA and through the design process outline opportunities for service design which would help address their needs. The service improvements we chose to design were in line with priorities of stakeholders and were kept as simple as possible to enhance adoption. The welcome pack is intended to engage residents, providing relevant information at the start of their journey. It is also a means of creating positive engagement within the hostel between reps and residents, enabling a connection and encouraging positive behavior and open communication at the outset. After speaking with staff and understanding the time, cost and storage pressures we created a simple pack. This involved many iterations from a box to eventually a bag design.
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As discussed with staff, content could be easily generated from existing supplies within the hostel. With this in mind we were able to further simplify the concept’s final iteration to prevent barriers to use. Through development of a training video and service blue print we were able to support reps learning on how best to deliver the ‘Revibe service’ to residents. This process was in keeping with principles of participatory design outlined above (Hubert, 2011; Schulman, 2012). A number of enhancements were suggested in the co-design sessions as to what would be most relevant to put in the packs, how they might be used and the best ways residents access information. While some ideas seemed simple such as creating a shared calendar in practice there were both technical and privacy issues that required engagement with YMCA management. Given the risk issues and time limitations of staff we listened to their needs and did not impose any additional elements which they reported were impractical within their context. An example of this occurred when discussing what items to place inside the welcome packs. Residents reported the need for toiletries, sanitary products and essential items over the less practical items suggested. Residents, staff and the design team also discussed the pros and cons of customisation and issues relating to preparation time by staff. Discussing these issues together we were able to create the best possible service to address the needs of residents whilst also meeting staff needs. All solutions were discussed democratically in an open inquisitive manner and explored fully before reaching the agreed outcome (Howaldt and Schwartz, 2010). All input received made our solution more relevant and user friendly while addressing the initial problem identified by staff and residents as reflected within co-design literature. The solution required buy in and positive results for staff and reps who would be responsible for service delivery. The service therefore needed a built in reinforcement system to ensure staff would maintain support for the welcome pack process after the project had ended. It was important for staff to realise the benefits of the welcome packs along residents to ensure sustainability (Shulman, 2012).
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All developments were produced keeping in mind the realities and context of the staff and residents. The provided blueprint can be used to outline a case for further service development within the YMCA. Supporting the use of welcome packs may provide a starting point for a wider pilot and further development of touchpoints. Changes in behavior of staff and residents take time to develop and further testing is needed to see what additional changes would be required for the welcome packs to be fully integrated into the service. Users need to remain at the center of these activities with resident advisors nominated from the hostel residents able to take on greater responsibility for enabling positive change (Emilson, et al., 2014; Homeless Link, 2018; Johnson, et al., 2016; Robertson, 2008). The YMCA revibe project presents a new way to utilise existing resources, engage residents and staff and create a more positive experience for hostel residents. It was designed to help young homeless people in the hostel access information and engage in positive activities to help them move forward with their lives. A participatory design approach was essential as this project will only work with the support from both residents, staff and buy in from senior management within the YMCA.
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References Agile Alliance (2018). Principles Behind The Agile Manifesto. [online] Available at: https://www.agilealliance.org/agile101/12-principles-behind-the-agilemanifesto/ [Accessed 26/10/2018]. Best, K. (2006). Design Management: Managing Design Strategy, Process and Implementation. AVA Publ., Lausanne. Emilson, A., Hillgren, P. A., Seravalli, A., Marttila, S., Hobye, M., Cuartielles, D., & LindstrĂśm, K. (2014). Making futures: Marginal notes on innovation, design, and democracy. MIT Press.
FEANTSA (2017) Locked out: Housing solutions for vulnerable young people transitioning to independence. [Online]. Available from: http://www.feantsa. org/download/report-chloe-eng5472656428791867789.pdf [Accessed 10 December 2018]. Davidson, L., Bellamy, C., Guy, K., & Miller, R. (2012). Peer support among persons with severe mental illnesses: a review of evidence and experience. World psychiatry, 11(2), 123-128. Design Council (2007). Eleven lessons: managing design in eleven global brands A study of the design process. [Online]. Available from: https://www.designcouncil. org.uk/sites/default/files/asset/document/ElevenLessons_Design_Council%20 (2).pdf [Accessed 10 December 2018]. Embleton L, Lee H, Gunn J, Ayuku D, Braitstein P. (2016). Causes of Child and Youth Homelessness in Developed and Developing Countries A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatr.170(5):435–444. Goldstrom, I. D., Campbell, J., Rogers, J. A., Lambert, D. B., Blacklow, B., Henderson, M. J., & Manderscheid, R. W. (2006). National estimates for mental health mutual support groups, self-help organizations, and consumer-operated services. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 33(1), 92-103.
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Greater London Authority ( 2018). Rough Sleeping Plan of Action. [Online] Accessed from: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/rough_sleeping_ plan_of_action_1.pdf. [Accessed 11 December 2018]. Homeless Link (2017) Support for single homeless people in England: Annual review 2017 [Online] Available from: https://www.homeless.org.uk/facts/ourresearch/annual-review-of-single-homelessness-support-in-england [Accessed 11 December 2018]. Homeless Link (2018). Young & Homeless 2018: Key findings. [Online]. Available from: https://www.homeless.org.uk/sites/default/files/site-attachments/ Young%20%26%20Homeless%202018%20Executive%20Summary.pdf. [Accessed 11 December 2018]. Howaldt, J., & Schwarz, M. (2010). Social innovation. Concepts, Research Fields, and International Trends. Dortmund: Sozialforschungstelle Dortmund.
Hubert, A. (2011). Investing in social innovation. Report Uscreates (2018). Homelessness: A problem so human and complex it requires service design and systems thinking. [Online]. Accessed from: https://www. uscreates.com/homelessness/. [Accessed 11 December 2018]. Johnson, G., Cook, K. & Sesa, S. (2016). Engaging young people: Using the pathways young people take in and out of homelessness as the foundation for a person centred service culture. Melbourne City Mission, Melbourne. Challenge Europe, (21), 34-39.
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Kanbanize (2018). What Is Value In Lean? [Online] Available from: [https:// kanbanize.com/lean-management/value-waste/what-is-value-lean/] [Accessed 13/10/2018] Lean Methodology (2018). [Online] Available from: https://leankit.com/learn/ lean/lean-methodology/ [Accessed 15/10/2018]. Mead, S., Hilton D., & Curtis, L. (2001). Peer support: A theoretical perspective. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 25, 134–141. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (2018). Rough Sleeping Strategy. [Online]. Accessed from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733421/RoughSleeping-Strategy_WEB.pdf [Accessed 01 December 2018]. Mulgan, G. (2012). The theoretical foundations of social innovation. In Social innovation (pp. 33-65). Palgrave Macmillan, London. New Horizon Youth Centre (2018). Hidden Thus Forgotten. [Online]. Accessed from: https://nhyouthcentre.org.uk/news/2018/08/13/hidden-thus-forgotten. [Accessed 01 December 2018]. Robertson, S. K. (2008). Cultural probes in transmigrant research: a case study. InterActions: UCLA Journal of Education and Information Studies, 4(2). Schulman, S. (2012). Ethical Outrage.[Online]. Accessed from: http://www. inwithfor.org/2012/04/ethical-outrage/#start [Accessed 11 December 2018]. Stickdorn, M., Hormess, M. E., Lawrence, A., & Schneider, J. (2018). This Is Service Design Doing: Applying Service Design Thinking in the Real World. “ O’Reilly Media, Inc.”. Solomon, P. (2004). Peer Support/Peer Provided Services Underlying Processes, Benefits, and Critical Ingredients. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 27(4), 392401. Stroul, B. (1993). Rehabilitation in community support systems. In R. Flexer & P. Solomon (Eds.). Psychiatric Rehabilitation in Practice. Andover Medical Publishers. Boston.
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Appendix
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Interview Transcripts Meg,Entre pre n eu r ( F a t M a c y ’s )
Readiness for change ‘...We tend to find the ones that drop off were the ones that weren’t ever ready, there tends to be a readiness thing that happens when someone has been there long enough that they know they’ve hit the point that it’s got to change that for us is our ideal person and we’ve got the pathway and all we need is for you to turn up and be dedicated and committed to get you the money to get out of it and those are the people we need. Anyone with high need, or who isn’t ready, they tend to self select and drop off.’ Asking for help at the right time- Self identifying need for help and asking before it’s too late..(How might we help young people identify if they are at risk? Alert when shit is going to hit the fan? Who to talk to?). ‘The things that work against us in terms of the trainees are when they’re not honest about things that then come up later, so people that we try to do as much as we can, not breaking people down but figuring out what’s happening in their lives because if we find out later that they’ve...that there’s a drug problem or an alcohol problem or a gambling problem or whatever, really bad mental health which often gets worse while they live there, so it’s almost better to get them super early and then keep them occupied but what we’ve noticed with some of the people is that...I suppose that sort of notice that we need to be quite an intensive program. We need to keep them really occupied and always have something for them to look forward to and in the early days when were really sporadic, we had people that were really great for like 100 hours and then they just vanished and it was like, ‘what happened?’,
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LACK OF KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS (Navigating the benefits system).‘….and there you hear someone saying, I used to do this and used to work full time and then this happened and now I owe the hostel £2000.’ (Meg) ‘Another big issue with benefits is that if you have differentiating payments, so you don’t have regular income every month, so I get a regular salary, so if I was on benefits it would remain the same indefinitely unless the benefits changed or unless I changed my job, for them because they are often on hourly wages, it’s always different.... Working overtime is such a pain in the ass for these people, because if you work over time the benefits people are like ‘sh*t, you owe lots of money’. ...Often people just don’t understand, a lot of people living in hostels are really ill informed. They’ve got a job and I will say, ‘have you checked this? Because, check it with the hostel staff because then it’s not gonna mean you have to pay £700- £800 a month to the hostel, and they often don’t really know that, so that happens a lot. ‘...If they get a job their benefits are cut, but they don’t often know that. So there’s a real lack of knowledge. A lot of the people living, like the younger ones especially just haven’t got any life experience so a lot of them have been kicked out of their parents house, Um, or they’ve come out of care, in a building where they’re 18, 19 the oldest people are 35 and the difference in that life experience is massive coupled with the fact that often the older ones are on the verge of the like long term homeless that you see on the streets and they’re quite institutionalised.
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G e o rg e, 19 y rs
YMCA re si de nt Tell us your story Ummm how it started is, I had a long period of time living in Plymouth, in 2013 when I was in year nine my mum decided to go abroad with me and my little sister so initially my mum and dad were separated since I was born. I have other step siblings as well from my mum and dad, I have one sister from my mum and three other brothers from my dad, ummm so how it was...I was living with my mum, I was not yet blossomed yet, a bit closed minded you know and then when I went away it was difficult living there, Cyprus and, it was difficult there coz you have a different type of environment, different type of ethnic people, I didn’t really wanna blend in and you know the kind of thought came into my mind about the opportunities that I had back in England, so I spoke to mum that I was gonna come back in 2 weeks. How old were you? I came here on the 14th of February 2014 and I was, I think I was 14, 15 or 14. During that time I spoke to my dad... he said, I’ll support you or whatever and I came back and my mum was expecting me to return in 2 weeks but I didn’t. My mum later understood why I didn’t want to come back ... I relied on myself from the age of 4 and take every opportunity to stand on my own 2 feet... It was a bit of a blossoming stage for me, and when I came back here I had a lot of hardship, acknowledging education as a better view because I had a learning difficulty back then, DHC plan, learning difficulty... Acknowledging stuff, I had difficulties with listening, I was very misbehaving as well, but throughout that time I blossomed up and the Government doesn’t need me to have that plan anymore and so during that time period I wanted to get back into secondary school. I had missed year 10 and 11 because GCSEs are already passed the timescale was a bit late, so I applied for secondary school around ummmm, I think April, June, April that’s when the exams has already passed so no secondary school would accept me...
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So I went to Haringey Tuition services, so they sort of teach you the same stuff smaller classes they teach you the ...class...ummm the day I came here I was in hospital for 2 weeks because of the change of weather, I don’t know, I think God gave me a little warning about lying to my mum, I mean I had a kidney problem, I had scars on my kidneys etc. The day I came here things went downhill and uphill and downhill and uphill, I have a lot of changes in my life. Where were you sleeping? A lot of places but I remember, a lot of places around this borough, parks etc. There was a lot of shelters that I had but I don’t want to reflect back to it because it had a big effect on me. I experienced it and I find it a very good experience to have you know? Coz even then, back then when I was with my dad I already saw myself coming into that position so I prepared myself for it... it can make me stronger you... immediately when I came here my bond broke with my mum as well, the bond broke because she thought I lied to her and chose my dad over her... she didn’t want to understand, and I was young, I said some foul words I was not supposed to say, you know? And since then I always reflect back on what happened and I came to a stage where I don’t miss my mum or my little sister anymore, I don’t miss anyone from my family anymore, it’s a good quality to have you know? Did you go to the council? You didn’t tell anyone? No, No. I was always in depression but I never really knew I was in depression coz I was always reflecting, always thinking, I had a bit of anxiety and I was lost in a bit of vague fear, when I was in conversation with people I would realise that I’m lost in vague fear so I can’t really keep up. I would always get off topic etc. A welfare officer noticed this and decided to speak to me, and I accepted, so I told her my situation, she helped me to get into some charities, DePaul and other charities to sign in for the charities and call in homeless people so they can stay at their houses.
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A r c h i e, 32 y r s
YMCA re si de nt The thing we would like to hear from you today is your story, how did you get here? What brought you here? What brought me to the YMCA or working at Fat Macy’s? Maybe a bit of both… Let’s start with my journey to the YMCA.. so what happened was.. Ummm.. I kind of had a relationship breakdown with my current.. Umm.. ex partner.. At the time, I had been living with her and her son for lets say a year and a half. Our relationship kind of ended on a sour note. So from then on, I had limited options to move somewhere else, so i contacted my mother, that I had not spoken to for like a long period of time.. And shes like ,“Umm.. Okay you can stay here till you’re back on your feet.. Umm.. me and my mother didn’t have like a great relationship over the last 5-6..7..8..10 years..you get what I’m saying? So.. it was a little bit tricky and complicated, like living there... I kind of ended up like.. without any place to stay.. ummm Saving some money to put aside? How was it all working? Well.. umm.. See the thing with me is like.. Yes, I had some money, but I was never ever good at saving money. That was my main issue when I left my ex partners place at the time, I had money but I blew through my money. So, the most challenging thing about that was, not having easy access to like shower or.. But I made use of the washing facilities, even when I was staying at the McDonalds, overnight, I would probably get sleep at around 11-12.. When things would die down, and the music would be like.. You know.. A little bit of a lower level. But even still, it was not advisable to be openly sleeping in McDonalds because the managers would make an issue, but there were times where I could sleep, but i made use of my surroundings. This went on for about 10 days. I did get in touch with StreetLink team.
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How did you find out about them? StreetLink Team? Yeah. Because I had been homeless before. Ah Okay. This was not my first bout of homelessness. How many years back was this? Umm.. probably 2011. First time around. How long did that go on for? Not for long because I had money. I was studying, staying with some friends, I had student loan in January, so I was able to stay in a backpackers hostel for about two months. I had some issues there.. I was asked to leave. I kind of then stayed with a friend for a little while, then I couldn’t stay with them. How did you figure out whom to turn to for help? What was the process like? I did not have anyone to turn to for help. I was by myself. I did reach out to 2 or 3 individuals, to see if they accommodate me for a short period of time. It was not possible. I kind of relied on the support from the night shelter. Some other agencies got in touch with me to fill out forms for like hostels and other accommodations.
How did you find out about the night shelter? Did someone tell you? Yeah. So I remember with the night shelter I went to this place.. Umm.. city road, in Angel. In my circumstance, and luckily enough they had one more available bed in the night shelter. This is within the Camden area. From then on, I found out information from other people, organising the night shelter, so from then on, I would go with the information I had. Read on Google. Go the library and find out some options.
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Maso n, 36yrs
YMCA re si de nt Tell us your story.. 6 years ago I became homeless after a break up. My daughter is 6 and I still want to be a part of her life. I moved from Tottenham to Alexandra Palace to Hackney, staying between friends and family for 6 years. My ex had moved because she was evicted and so she moved in with her mum and my daughter and my moved in with my mum but I couldn’t stay. I ended up sleeping rough. Found warm places Mc Donalds, everywhere, parks. Over the time I approached housing at the council and didn’t receive any support. I found a job and was wait listed back and forth. I went on Google and got in touch with Shelter who referred me on to No Second Night. What is positive about the hostel? I got a scholarship to university in Ravensbourne. I would love to have my own place. I’ve been in the hostel for a year. The time spent has been ‘rebuilding’ myself. How did you hear about Fat Macy’s (FM)? People, residents and staff. It was positive, sounded like a good scheme ti get you back on your feet and move into your own place. There’s nothing else like it! I want to have a business like this one day, give back when I’m sorted. What is your main challenge living in the hostel? Working and rent. I worked a little bit over and am in arrears £700. I wasn’t sure, it jumped up and I wasn’t engaging with my advisor enough. Looking back I wasn’t settled in the place, I was still back and forth between friends, I still wasn’t used to it.
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What has been difficult? Why did you stop going? I started university and trying to juggle everything at the same time.
What has been difficult? Why did you stop going? I started university and trying to juggle everything at the same time. What got you started again? I think it’s good, get to learn skills and get to work. I’m not really good at cooking so I wanted to learn how to cook, gain skills maybe in the future have a kitchen. I want a lot of skills so I can have more options. Biggest barrier and issue. ‘Money, money’ . I would want my own home it would mean freedom, having my daughter, cooking and being a human being. I would like to be more conscious of my money, find a job, generate money so I could save-I spend my money more freely (Budgeting Skills- Manage a budget- real life).I’d like there to be more engaging with residents to see what they want? A charity to get more support with anything to residents, life in general, any human support. Do you have any advice? Trying to keep positive. Stay positive and a door might open.
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Tim, 68yrs
R o u g h s le e p i ng fo r la s t 1 0 y r s + Semi structured interview: What is the most frustrating thing? What does home mean to you? What have you found most helpful? What keeps you on the streets? ‘I can’t believe someone’s nicked my walking stick. Can you believe it? And I know who done it. I need that. Everywhere I go it’s always the same, people nicking your stuff.’ ‘They kept putting me in hostels...and you’ve got horrible people there. I told you, I ain’t going in no more’. ‘I’ll stay here, this is where I’ll die. Here.’ ‘I meet all kinds of people looking after me. This is my home. The police know me and try to get rid of me, but they can’t. Do they give you access to a GP in the hostel? ‘Not really’. What’s the worst thing about being in the hostel? ‘The staff. I’ve taken drugs since ‘66. I ain’t gonna stop. I’m 68. I ain’t gonna stop. To join this lot? People on the council estate who can’t really do it, who haven’t made it, who are bitter about their lives?’ ‘I spent 20 years in prison, I’m coming from a different world.’ What is different about the hostel? ‘You’re stuck in a room, stuck in a f*cking room. It’s like cells. It doesn’t remind me of being in a prison cell because there ain’t no f*cking difference.’
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What’s the most important thing for you? ‘Hash. Drink. M’hash and m’drink.’ What happens when it gets cold? ‘You watch what happens. Some will bring coats here and everything. I’ve been here a long time.’ ‘This morning I got four pounds and then to the Offy and then someone knicked my walking stick last night and m’drink.’ ‘I shouldn’t put it there. I put it there sometimes, you know? [He points to s spot near the shop window and the edge of the blanket]. What scum! What scum! You know? I’ve got nothin’ and coz it’s an easy touch, ‘oh, he’s asleep’, right, you know?’ Does it happen a lot? ‘Of course it does. ‘Course it does, all the time. I put it down, like an idiot.’ Do you have anywhere you can leave stuff? ‘Yeh, Betty...but Betty is 82... Me and her son are really good friends...if anyone hurt me...oh, he’s really dangerous.’ What about a locker or something? ‘What you do, what I do is, I stash it. I know all the bin men. There’s a couple. You know what I can do is leave it, I can leave it in the bin, one of m’bags and he knows, and he will leave it.’ Tim’s outlook on his life: ‘I’m alive. It’s a gift. The life I’ve lived is a gift. I wouldn’t change it for nothin’.’3
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J a c o b, 2 7 y r s
YMCA re si de nt Do you want to tell us a bit about your story like how do you come to be here and how do you come to be…? We have time we have all day. So whatever you want to tell us and whenever you want to started. I am be a … and when I were in UK is 2009. My mom she says she want to born me in UK, so and other any other family I was the only child I know, so she born me here. So my brother and sister they are in different country all over the world, east country Paris, etc. Where are you from? Cameron. When I was actually when I came to UK what I want to learn the language and the football, be a profession, that was my dream. Be a footballer because I am okay here …But she don’t want me to do it, my mom want me to be a lawyer. It sounds I never have a inside of me that still I love it. It was actually no close to the … year I can totally try. But she was upset. I will upset on her. I spend two months and six days in her house. And then she kicked me out. So were you just sleep on the street that whole year? I spent basically two years on the street. You went to college? Yeah I went to college and I don’t shower, I don’t …, same clothes and I remember at time that I have few parts or … I will drop on the bus and …stays in the same bus come back again … go up and down. Early in the morning I just go to college, and my teacher and I was lucky I have a teacher. she was a French and she emm, so when she I will do a exam she was basically try to help me so like basically she got a CD player so they put these CD so they speaking in English so then I could listen this one and this one. So she asked that to help me through. When I was 16 I want to play and … I don’t entrant one entrant two entrant three. And then the College help me to find out some budget, give me some 102
money, bathroom to get clean, all kind of stuff. They sent me to one of the union center in kings cross, like you can have lunch there, can take shower, wash your clothes. Is that been the new horizon one? Yeah you know it. Yeah we know it, cause we have been there visiting. One day I spent my … at that time no people know my mom was sticking my passport so I tell them my restriction … yeah you are welcome we open seven days a week the time is open and then. Is it after the two years? Riding buses and just going to class. I remember I slept on one of my friend’s house but I never easy to say … It was so upset to know that my mom she was right, if she don’t … me I can’t enforce her because it is not her false and I left. But when I was in the union center they help me to find a job and after that they helped me to move to a shelter and I got a night shelter so basically you stay in it at night but you don’t stay in the daytime. So you sleep in one room, deep flat. 40-60 people who want move, but you got your own bed, like this is your bed, someone next you someone next you, it was much better compare to how it was on the street … church … I was crying, every second thinking, thinking, thinking, wow how this happened to me. Did you speak to your mother over that time or just broke up? Yeah just broke up. My mom she says she like alone my mom she is like she don’t know me, like I am not her child, like I don’t want to listen to her, … …, so it was just say unbelievable to hear that because I hear she left. A staff she said to me my mom want to give me a headache. So you went to that shelter and you sleeping there with other people and what is the biggest issue when you in that shelter for you? I feel I just getting the worst day that because I remember I five so you can’t, like you stuff. 103
To m , N e t w o r k R a i l
But what is the policy like? How does it work for Network Rail? ‘...Basically, I have got staff, they come downstairs, but they can’t put themselves in danger because they get screamed at and __, all they can do is ask them to move, ask them to move, if they refuse to move, I give our guys __ So is it like, you come in to work and you’re here, and you feel like it’s obstructed by people? ‘.... They’re in the way, we ask them to move.. Have there been any incidents with the staff? Yeah! All the time. My staff gets threatened, gets abused, spat on. (co-worker standing next to Tom, repeats 3 times, “get spat on”!). Has there been support from staff? Has there been any training for the staff? ‘___They urinate on the station, they use the toilet inside the station. They’re disgusting! They try sleeping at the station at night. They’re obnoxious! They smell..half of them have got Hepatitis B or worse. They are obnoxious. They harass our passengers.. Tricked the staff. Have you had a lot more incidents that you have been reporting, through the incident reporting? All the time. Has anyone had any kind of serious incidents? No has been touched or sent to the hospital yet. Is it the same group of people who sleep rough in this area? Or are there new people who come in too? 104
‘...More or less..same old, we’ve seen for years. And obviously it’s got a square layout .. there are a not just homeless people, there are a lot of drug users, prostitutes..they are there.. It’s getting better.. But at the same time when you come here in the morning.. It’s just full of them! Full of them! They get more and more.. Umm ‘brave’. They put up tents out there.. you know.. it’s just getting bigger and bigger, they just like to leave their mess there, their food their things.. So what do you think? Do you have any ideas or solutions? ‘...We get a lot of veterans and they’re telling us ‘just leave them alone’.. If they knew, how aggressive and abusive they’ve been to the staff who are only doing their job, but its the public who is the biggest problem, they’ll tell them (staff) ‘leave ‘em alone’..they’ve bought them food.. for the homeless its food for free. Why will they move? They will just stay there, you know.. they are surrounded by food, people buying food. It makes our life harder. Do you have people you can call or contact about it? Some street smart people? We just call the police. Does network rail have their own security as well? Do you have private security? ‘..No no.. First and foremost.. Once we cross the station we have to do things like that. Some of these guys are pretty armed. They’ve got sticks and tasers and god knows what else.. Our staff gets threatened or spat on.
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Agenda for Co-design Workshop 18:30 Introductions- Aims and set (Expectations: Ground Rules and warm up)
18:45 Feedback learning 19:00 Example resident journey (Using persona to explore issues)
20:00 HMW questions 20:45 Break
(End- Give feedback cards)
21:00 Warm-up for sketching 21:15 Sketching and creating scenarios 21: 30 Dot voting and prioritizing ideas 21:45 END
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Outline for Co-design Workshop AIM: To show them what we have found out so far To (synthesize all of the information and) give choices of which pain point to focus in their journey to focus a HMW question on To get their input and feedback and create some solutions
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BEFORE ROUGH SLEEPING
DURING ROUGH SLEEPING
+
Goog
Connected during s hom
Got a part-
Fall out with grilfriend (gl blew all his money)
ARCHIE 30
Fall out with mom, got kicked out
Could not complete graduation
-
Rough sleeping at McDonalds
Graduation student
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Trying to be posit
Part-time job / S
G
POST/AFTER BEING IN A SHELTER/HOUSED
Support from the night shelter
Referred to the YMAC by night shelter
Keep working in YMCA
gled for services
d with streetviwc second boat of melessness
Hope world wide
-time job
tive
Sometimes broke
Continued part-time jpb & works Fat Macys
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HOMELESS
BEFORE THE HOSTEL
+
“ la
“...I called helping center to asked her to listen to my feelings, really depressed, I’ve not seen my family for a month, I can’t stay and I need to be back in London....”
move in shelter, but with poor location “..I basically became very ill last year and nearly passed away. And because of the illness, I had stopped working, therefore can’t afford the rent....”
Extremely illed and almost passed away
Ben 22
Succefully applied a place in shelter
-
feel bad about the location
find it ha apply for a
“...If I didn’t have m don’t know where I the two ....”
no money for renting, sleep on the street
worked as person trainer
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no working
DURING THE HOSTEL
AFTER THE HOSTEL
“... I wanna do something that pays well, that helps people, that sort of kind of “customer facing”, position that I was in before....”
move out to own place & ideal routine working
“... I moved in on the 5th of February in this year, and two days ater I had my mum come visit, I have my sister come visit, I have my friend come visit, so it was like “yeah”! ....”
move in hostel with great location
feel intense about some unfriendly residents and timing issues “... everyone that comes here got own issues, some people might have issues to do with drug misuse or alcoholism, and some one in there was a thief....”
ard to a hostel
my good friend, I I would be to past weeks .”
training as sercurity, locksmith and cook in hostel
full-time job as a security or cook
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BEFORE ROUGH SLEEPING
DURING ROUG
+
Lived with father Sometimes went to charity, DeP
Went abroad Missed secondary school
GEORGE 19
-
Went back to London Lived with father
Learning/Listening difficulties
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Got GCSES certificate
GH SLEEPING
DURING THE HOSTEL
Go to university
Paul Went to YMCA
Felt worse after talked to staff Rough sleeping slept outside
College / Part-time job
Go to university
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DURING ROUGH SLEEPING
+ Account manager at 19
Became homeless at 17 had mental illness before Got bullied conice rough sleeping
LIAM 27
-
Began rough sleeping
Was p
Started rough sleeping
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Account manager
DURING THE HOSTEL
Housing at the YMCA
Does physical training for 2 hours a day, training at Fat Macys, loves cooking, has his own instagram page
Broxbourne council helped hem get Rchabiutated to the YMCA
People are rude
physically attcked
No working
Fat Macy’s trainee & fitness traning
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Lucy’s Quotes (Staff) About Hostel Services: “...the rent is about 1200, but that’s your support worker, your internet connection, all your bills, your washing machine, a concierge on site, breakfast and dinner, got assigned support work part-time, home maintenance team, all of these other activities....” People: “...kitchen stuffs, house keeping stuffs, support team, property maintenance team, reception group (2-3people), concierge team (2-3people)....”
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About Residents “...The homeless people got benefit, so they are not actually paying rent of the hostel, because they’re very low-paid when start working....” “...That’s the biggest problem, Time-keeping, having the idea in mind that you’re doing sth.....” “...Tbecause there are much less money being put into supporting young people, and you really need a trust relationship....” “.. low-expectation of themselves, like confidence kind of stuff, they are not setting goals,....” “.. a lot of people in the hostel have issues with like anxious, anger management or they might have issues with trusting...” “.. Well, communication skills, I would say. Absolutely top of everything, I mean it’s really rare to get a good communicator,...” “.. maybe they are not always understand exactly what’s on offer so maybe language can be a problem as well. ...”
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