cultivate TRANSITIONAL LIVING FOR EMANCIPATED FOSTER YOUTH a project designed by jessica laseak
For my parents, my fiancĂŠ and the ladies of 5201. I would not be where I am today without their constant love, encouragement and support. Special thanks to my committee for guiding me through this process, believing in my vision and helping me to grow as a young architect.
AMERICA’S SHADOW CHILDREN Thousands of young people are emancipated from the foster care system every year in America. Upon aging out, most of them are not capable of caring or providing for themselves and are pulled into a downward spiral of poverty, instability and uncertainty. In order to combat this issue, Cultivate was developed to help solve multiple problems young adults face under one roof. The ultimate goal is to give residents a sense of control and ownership of their lives while connecting them to resources that will ensure their future success and independence. In 2015 there were 101,000 children in foster care throughout the United States. 24,000 foster youth were emancipated from the state’s care or “aged out” after they turned 18 years old. One in five become homeless instantly.
A quarter of all emancipated youth do not graduate high school or obtain their GED and half are unemployed at the age of 22 (Center for Family Representation, 2015). Former foster youth simply do not have the skills or resources to be able to live on their own or provide for themselves. Because former foster youth often have a traumatic childhood they are five times more likely to have PTSD, twice as likely to develop an alcohol dependency and seven times as likely to become addicted to drugs (Children’s Bureau, 2015). Most of these young adults lack mentors that could provide guidance or access to mental health services. Lack of education, employment, family guidance, and access to healthcare make it nearly impossible to obtain any kind of success in life and traps people in a ruthless cycle of poverty.
24
thousand
every
sin gle
year
in the
US
1/5 instantly become homeless
1/4 do not gradauate high school or get a GED
less than 3% will ever obtain a higher education
1/2 are unemployed at the age of 24
7/10 women are pregnant before the age of 21
five times more likely to have a drinking problem
seven times more likely to have a drug addiction
five times more likely to develop PTSD
four to ten times more likely to commit a crime
HOW CAN WE SOLVE THIS? With all of the problems young adults face, Cultivate had to provide all of the resources a young adult requires under one roof. Cultivate’s program was developed following Maslow’s hierarchy of needs because unfortunately, not every one of them were met for the young people who aged out of foster care. Using this hierarchy as a blueprint for the program ensured that Cultivate would address every need a resident might have. This transitional housing facility is composed of seventeen 2-bedroom apartments, a laundry facility, a common room, legal and career counseling, mental health services, financial aid assistance as well as spaces for teaching life skills. The apartments were modestly sized so that residents are encouraged to venture out to common spaces and form meaningful relationships with their peers. The program will facilitate learning and healthy lifestyle choices by offering a plethora of interactive classes. Graduates will be able to create a functional and stable home life for themselves after engaging in life skills workshops. Cultivate is different from other transitional living facilities because the program is structured around the residents operating a small farm located on site and selling the raw fruits and vegetables in a centrally located market or in the cafÊ. This teaches the residents important intra-personal and business skills and gives them a sense of pride and ownership in the work that they do.
The program is designed so that all of the residents will be mature, capable and well-rounded individuals upon leaving the transitional living facility. Cultivate will be a successful program because it houses so many important resources under one roof for residents to take advantage of. The proximity between services and apartments will encourage emancipated youth to utilize the counseling or classes that are available to them because they are so conveniently located. It would require more effort to avoid taking part in these services than it would to participate. The market and farming element will give the residents a sense of ownership and control over their lives, which is something they have always lacked. These ingredients are unique to Cultivate and will act as a catalyst that will ignite a desire within each resident to replicate, develop and further those feelings of independence in their lives after they have left the program. Instead of a cycle of poverty, Cultivate graduates will find themselves in the midst of a cycle of learning, personal growth and advancement.
WHERE IS THE NEED?
california emancipates 4,500 young people annually
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA
In order to choose a site, each state’s foster care system was examined to determine where the greatest need was for a program like Cultivate. The state of California ages out over 4,500 young adults a year which is far more than any other state, even though state laws were recently changed so that services taper off from 18 to 21 years of age. It quickly became apparent that the city of Irvine is perfect for this program because it has some of the most affordable housing in California and has one of the lowest crime rates in the nation. This makes it easier for a young person with no outside financial support to be able to provide for themselves and ensures that they won’t associate with people who might have a negative influence in their lives. There are several community colleges, traditional universities, trade schools and culinary schools in town for residents to attend if they wish to pursue a form of higher education. Irvine is a master planned community and while there is not much free land within city limits, Irvine Valley College had an eight-acre plot of undeveloped land on its southwestern corner. This would give residents easier access to an education and would help integrate them into the community. The site is nestled between several neighborhoods, has both pedestrian and vehicular access and is on several local bus routes. These routes have stops at nearby shopping and medical centers so anything a young person might need is only a quick bus ride away. Some of the routes even connect to regional train lines so that people can get just about anywhere in the state if they needed to. This kind of accessibility is a huge benefit for emancipated foster youth because most of them do not have cars of their own to get around.
BUS ROUTE
EDUCATOIN
RESIDENTIAL
COMMERCIAL
central market
designate service spaces
split housing
define outdoor spaces
privitize aparments
widen entry and approach
CONTEXT PLAN
0’
125’
250’
500’
site plan 0’
25’
50’
100’
MATERIALS
Finishes were selected to reflect the agriculturally centered program at Cultivate. Natural woods, white washed brick, metal accents and polished tiles come together to form a clean and classic pallet that reminds people of agrarian and pastoral lifestyles. The quality of finishes are cozy, familiar and encourage residents to take pride in their living spaces. Materials were locally sourced from suppliers within a ten mile radius to help contribute to the project’s sustainability initiative.
N O R T H + S O U T H A G P R O D U C T I O N AT 1 / 1 6 ” = 1 ’ - 0 ”
W E S T A D M I N + A PA RT M E N T AT 1/16” = 1’ - 0”
EAST APARTMENT + AG PRODUCTION AT 1/16” = 1’ - 0”
NORTH + SOUTH ADMIN AT 1/16” = 1’ - 0”
S O U T H L O F T + T Y P I C A L M A R K E T AT 1 / 1 6 ” = 1 ’ - 0 ”
LEVEL ONE 0’
25’
50’
100’
LEVEL TWO 0’
25’
50’
100’
MARKET TRUSS ASSEMBLIES 1
MARKET ROOF
2
12” x 16” WOOD BEAM
3
12” x 12” WOOD COLUMN
4
STEEL PLATE CONNECTION
5
STEEL BOLTS
6
CLEVIS PIN CONNECTION
7
1” STEEL ROD
8
1/2” STEEL CABLE
9
8” x 8” WOOD TRUSS WEB
2
5 4 6 2 5
8
9
6
7
5 4
5
5 6
3 8 4 7
MARKET WALL SECTION
1
3 4 2
6
7 8
12
13
14
9
16 17 18 10 3
11 19 20
15
22
5
1 STANDING SEAM ROOF
12 WINDOW FRAME
2 DECKING
13 GLASS
3 RIGID INSULATION
14 GYPSUM BOARD
4 GUTTER
15 MORTAR MESH
5 12” x 16” WOOD BEAM
16 TILE FLOORING
6 6” x 22” WOOD BEAM
17 TONGUE + GROOVE DECKING
7 BLOCKING
18 6” x 6” WOOD BEAM
8 BRICK
19 STEEL PLATE
9 AIR SPACE
20 BOLT + PLATE FLOOR CONNECTION
10 BRICK TIES
21 CONCRETE FOUNDATION
11 BATTING
22
COOK
DINE
LIVE
LEVEL ONE 0’
5’
10’
20’
WASH
DREAM
LEVEL TWO 0’
5’
10’
20’
Jessica Laseak
Marcel Erminy
Ray Holliday
Dr Susan Rodiek
Dr Heili Pals
BIBLIOGRAPHY Avery, R. J., & Freundlich, M. (2009). You’re all grown up now: Termination of foster care support at age 18. Journal of Adolescence, 32(2), 247-257. doi:https://doi. org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2008.03.009 Dworsky, A. (2012). Housing for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care: A Review of the Literature and Program Typology. 61. Dworsky, A., & Courtney, M. E. (2010). The risk of teenage pregnancy among transitioning foster youth: Implications for extending state care beyond age 18. Children and Youth Services Review, 32(10), 1351-1356. doi:https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2010.06.002 Scannapieco, M., Connell-Carrick, K., & Painter, K. (2007). In Their Own Words: Challenges Facing Youth Aging Out of Foster Care. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 24(5), 423-435. doi:10.1007/s10560-0070093-x Shook, J. J., Vaughn, M. G., Litschge, C., Kolivoski, K., & Schelbe, L. (2009). The importance of friends among foster youth aging out of care: Cluster profiles of deviant peer affiliations. Children and Youth Services Review, 31(2), 284-291. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j. childyouth.2008.07.024