The Architecture of Compassion: Homelessness, Housing, and Hope

The Architecture of Compassion Homelessness, Housing, and HopeHope 1 Homelessness, Housing, and

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omelessness is a complicated issue, one that touches people of every age and race, and from every state in the nation. A third of homeless people are in families with children. Many are youth living on their own, or veterans, or people with disabilities. Some are employed.

People may experience a brief housing crisis, or may be chronically homeless. The most accurate count of the homeless population in the United States is HUD’s Annual Point-in-Time count, which tracked 552,830 homeless people across the nation on a single night in 2018.

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Identifying the Causes of Homelessness Many factors contribute to homelessness; however, each individual story is different.

Poverty is a huge underlying cause of homelessness, as lack of a financial safety net leaves people vulnerable in the wake of events such as a foreclosure, job loss, or divorce. People living in poverty often struggle to choose between medication and food and rent, especially when an unexpected expense such as a medical bill or a car repair arises. A scarcity of affordable housing compounds the issue; many people are spending more than 50% of their incomes on rent, leaving little to cover other necessities. Other contributing factors include mental illness, addiction, or physical disability. Some 4 The Architecture of Compassion

people are homeless because they are fleeing domestic violence; others because they are veterans living with severe trauma. Wage stagnation, steady reductions in public assistance and mental health services, and limited employment opportunities magnify the problems, particularly for those with low education levels.

Layers of issues often contribute to homelessness; therefore, no single solution will address every cause.

Addressing housing needs swiftly,

however, is a key first step to helping individuals solve multifaceted problems.

Chronic vs. Short Term Homelessness According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the chronically homeless made up 24% of the homeless population in 2018. These individuals often have multiple needs -physical, mental, and emotional- which must be addressed in order to find stability and safety. For these people, prolonged or repeated homelessness compounds these issues through long-term exposure to the elements, stress, and lack of accessible health care.

Providing services effectively to this population depends upon a “housing first” model, often referred to as Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH). Rather than requiring vulnerable people to achieve milestones such as sobriety or employment in order to qualify for housing assistance, permanent supportive housing removes barriers to success by providing safe housing as a first step to helping the chronically homeless solve other problems.

People who are experiencing a temporary housing crisis may require a very different set of services. Rapid rehousing in the form of rental assistance, public housing, and vouchers such as those administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) can provide stability to individuals and families

in financial distress before long-term homelessness occurs. Section 8 vouchers subsidize private-market housing, a critical factor in housing affordability for many families. For those who qualify, federally funded public housing also provides a safety net for vulnerable populations such as the elderly and the disabled.

Designing for Dignity Understanding that people experiencing homelessness may feel vulnerable, stigmatized, or unwelcome in unfamiliar environments, those who design facilities for this population must be particularly sensitive to the physical and emotional needs of the building’s end users. Whether providing housing or offering related services, successful designs will not only meet the needs of the client’s program, budget, and schedule, but will also prioritize dignity and an intentional sense of welcome.

LS3P has a long history of designs which support the homeless, or those at risk of homelessness, through housing and services.

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CASE STUDY:

Permanent Supportive Housing Church Street Place at Poe Mill Greenville, SC Church Street Place will provide 36 units of permanent supportive housing for people in Greenville who are chronically homeless due to mental health issues.

LS3P worked with United Housing Connections and civil engineering/landscape architecture firm Seamon Whiteside to develop a master plan and conceptual design for the site, allowing the organization to kick off a $3.4 million fundraising campaign.

The site, central and accessible to downtown Greenville, was part of the textile industry in the neighborhood’s economic heyday. The neighborhood currently lacks an anchor and an edge; Church Street Place will provide both through a contemporary design solution that respects the height, scale, and mass of other nearby textile buildings which are being renovated as upscale lofts. The design is attractive and familiar, and will integrate with the neighborhood while feeling like home to its residents.

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Typical 5-bedroom Unit

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CASE STUDY:

Family-Friendly Shelter with a Neighborhood Scale One80 Place Charleston, SC With a mission to end and prevent homelessness “one person at a time, one family at a time,” One80 Place provides comprehensive services including housing, temporary shelter, healthcare, legal services, veterans assistance, job training, work experience, and meals. One80 Place’s newest facility will greatly expand its capacity with a design that appears rooted in Charleston’s neighborhood fabric. The large structure is broken into smaller volumes to maintain a residential scale, meeting the street with pedestrian-friendly storefronts, a café staffed by graduates of One80 Place’s culinary training program, and an inviting colonnade leading guests into the site.

The six-story building accommodates 70 apartment units for extremely low income individuals, a 64-bed family center for homeless women and children, office space, and a variety of amenities and gathering spaces. The modern, open interior borrows from a contemporary hospitality palette to feel as welcoming as a high-end hotel. Bright colors, family-friendly spaces, natural light, and conveniences such as a mail center and a computer center create a sense of security and inclusion.

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CASE STUDY:

One-Stop Facility for Homeless Services Oak City Multi-Services Center Raleigh, NC In providing vital homelessness services, access is everything. Traveling from agency to agency on foot or via public transportation creates unnecessary burdens for an already vulnerable population. In order to streamline service delivery in an accessible and welcoming environment, the City of Raleigh, Wake County, and the nonprofit Catholic Charities joined forces to provide a one-stop, seven-day-a-week facility managed by Oak City Cares to connect people to the services they need.

The Oak City Multi-Services Center provides a range of services within one centralized location near downtown Raleigh. Guests can meet with case workers, do laundry, shower, secure medical care, eat a weekend meal, or complete job training while their children amuse themselves in a secure play area.

The Center’s design demonstrates how architecture can both offer and support alternative visions of our world. LS3P’s design team focused on creating an inviting facility rooted in hospitality, starting with an entry that feels like an upscale hotel lobby. From the moment guests enter, the new facility intends to convey an important message: you have arrived, you matter, and we care about you. One guest entering the building for the first time looked around the welcoming lobby and said, “I think for the very first time we will finally be treated like people.

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CASE STUDY:

Hope and Transformation Salvation Army Corps Community Center and Center of Hope Wilmington, NC This new campus for Wilmington’s Salvation Army Corps Community Center will offer a variety of programs on a highly visible site. The new campus will house a 20,400 SF Community Center with worship space, offices, a gym, meeting and educational space, and an after-school program area. A baseball field will provide a community anchor and recreation opportunities. The adjacent 21,100 SF Center of Hope will serve the poor and homeless, providing crucial amenities such as housing, meals, and life skills training. Common areas inside and out will allow residents to engage with one another and with the staff to form supportive relationships. The shelter will accommodate families and special needs guests.

The Community Center building is designed to have a strong visual presence with the chapel as the most prominent architectural element. The Center of Hope is similar in form, creating a mirror image on the opposite side of the site. The two buildings underscore the Salvation Army’s mission by representing different aspects of a life of faith: worship and service, faith and works, love of God and love of neighbor.

The ultimate purpose of this project is the transformation of people on every level. The Center of Hope helps lift people out of poverty, hunger, and homelessness, while the Community Center and athletic fields offer chances to improve physical health through sports activities with others. The chapel offers a path to spiritual and emotional healing and fulfillment.

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CASE STUDY:

Job Training and a Sense of Purpose Charlotte Rescue Mission Café Charlotte, NC The Community Matters Café is an extension of Charlotte Rescue Mission, which provides housing and counseling services for people recovering from addiction.

Graduates of the Mission’s recovery program can complete culinary training to learn valuable job skills such as pastry making and barista services; they can then implement these skills in the new welcoming, light-filled restaurant and café.

Located adjacent to the men’s campus in Charlotte’s Third Ward neighborhood, the café serves the dual purposes of training residents and raising awareness for the Mission’s programs.

The unique setting in the 100-year old Southern Spindle and Flyer building underscores the theme of rehabilitation. Ed Price, the Director of Life Skills Operation for Charlotte Rescue Mission, says of the building, “What was destined for demolition, has now been restored—which is really what we do as a core at the Charlotte Rescue Mission.” LS3P’s design preserved nearly all of the original building intact, including the exposed brick walls, wood rafters, concrete floor, original window openings, and original wood trim and cornice on the 1st Street façade.

Inside, the café is organized according to two main programs: a grab-and-go style coffee counter with small café tables, and a full-service restaurant where restored church pews serve as booth seating for diners eating from the café’s locally sourced menu. Generous windows enhance visual connectivity and allow for daylighting while a meeting room with sliding green barn doors completes the space. The centerpiece, however, is a commissioned community table at an impressive 200 lbs suspended from the ceiling.

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CASE STUDY: Supportive Housing for our Heroes Kernersville State Veterans Home Kernersville, NC No population is immune to homelessness. Some however, are particularly vulnerable, including veterans. In 2018, veterans made up almost 10% of the homeless population in the US. The reasons are complex. Veterans returning from combat must navigate the same issues- lack of affordable housing, unexpected medical or household bills, difficulty finding well-paid employment- as the general population, but often with the additional burdens of “invisible injuries.� Traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)are common but devastating conditions related to combat, and until recently have often been undiagnosed and untreated. Those who live with PTSD are more likely to struggle with mental, emotional, and physical issues which can create obstacles to employment, supportive relationships, and stable housing.

In caring for our older veterans in particular, Veterans Homes offer the compassion and dignity that our service men and women deserve as they age. This new facility for Kernersville State Veterans Home will provide 120 beds of skilled nursing for veterans in a familiar, comforting residential-scale setting. The 16 The Architecture of Compassion

design features private bedrooms and inviting social spaces filled with natural light. The exterior design focuses on residential detailing as well, with porches, vertical siding, and smaller volumes which break up the mass of the large facility into small-scale units.

Primary design goals for the project include fostering a sense of camaraderie among residents, providing opportunities for social engagement, giving residents a sense of ownership over their personal space, promoting physical activity and learning, improving mental health, and providing a better quality of life.

CASE STUDY: Pathways to Independence for Adults Living with Mental Illness Gateway House Greenville, SC Greenville’s Gateway House provides multi-level support for adults

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living with severe mental illnesses, serving over 225 members each year. The unique “Clubhouse” model helps people transition to full independence by helping them build social, interpersonal, educational, and employment skills. Gateway House reduces the need for hospitalization in a caring environment with in-house job training, supported outside employment, assistance accessing and succeeding in educational programs, and a network of social support. Gateway includes 72 independent living apartments, and 13 units of housing for those needing assistance navigating daily life with medication reminders, grocery shopping, cleaning, or other tasks.

LS3P is designing a new 20,000 SF Clubhouse for Gateway’s vital programs. The Clubhouse will anchor Gateway’s campus and serve as a central gathering space, with a design focused on openness, natural light, safety, durability, and flexibility. The building will house a snack bar, kitchen, café dining room, clerical workspace, members’ bank, newsletter and video production space, administrative spaces, executive offices, and meeting rooms. The new Clubhouse is carefully detailed to reflect the scale and design character of surrounding built environment so that it feels integrated into its surrounding neighborhood.

CASE STUDY: Neighbors Helping Neighbors The Bridge at Green Street Spartanburg, NC This community center in Spartanburg’s Northside neighborhood offers vital assistance for the economically vulnerable. Programs include the Bridge Market food pantry, the Wearhouse clothing center, afterschool programs for kids, refurbished bikes for rent, restrooms and showers, or assistance with financial emergencies. The atmosphere is neighborly and friendly, with volunteers to assist with shopping and make guests feel welcome.

In 2016, LS3P assisted First Baptist Church of Spartanburg in renovating former Green Street Baptist Church building for use as The Bridge. The project renovated the first floor to include laundry facilities, restrooms with showers, gathering/large group Homelessness, Housing, and Hope 19

meeting areas, classrooms, offices, and space for the food pantry and clothing center. The renovation also upfitted the existing fellowship hall in an adjacent education building to provide space for children’s after school and summer activities.

Future phases of construction will include a new lobby to connect the buildings, and renovations of the second-floor worship space for community events.

CASE STUDY: Relieving Food Insecurity for the Economically Vulnerable Lowcountry Food Bank Charleston, SC People who are struggling financially often face difficult choices. On a tight budget, they may have to prioritize medicine over rent one month, or utilities over groceries the next. Senior citizens on fixed incomes often struggle when unexpected expenses arise, as do the working poor and others who are economically vulnerable. Many people experiencing food insecurity are in families with children; hunger impacts their health and their ability to learn as well as their happiness and sense of well-being.

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Nutritional assistance can mean the difference between being able to hold onto housing, or having a family slip into a temporary or chronic homelessness. Particularly in cities where affordable housing is scarce near work opportunities, food banks are vital to helping struggling people make ends meet and stay in their homes.

The Lowcountry Food Bank served 200,000 people in 2018, distributing 31,200,000 pounds of food with the help of over 300 partner agencies.

LS3P renovated this warehouse and distribution center for the food bank, which takes in food donated by retailers, farmers, or food drives for packaging and distribution to community agencies across 10 counties. The 59,000 SF warehouse includes high-bay industrial space, industrial shelving, volunteer work areas, support spaces, and administrative offices. The brick façade features metal columns in the client’s red and white colors to welcome volunteers to the site.

CASE STUDY: Safe Shelter and Targeted Resources Emergency Men’s Shelter Charlotte, NC The Men’s Shelter of Charlotte provides services to help guests increase income and obtain stable housing. In a supportive environment where basic needs are met, staff and volunteers can connect guests with resources for targeted financial assistance, rapid rehousing, or support for chronic issues such as substance use, mental illness, or physical disability.

The new facility for the Emergency Men’s Shelter will house 108 year-round residents, with space for an additional 86 winter guests. LS3P also designed the original men’s shelter on the site, which will remain in use until the new facility is completed to provide a seamless transition. The one-story building includes commercial and residential laundry facilities and a computer lab for job searches, job training, and permanent housing research. A large front porch provides space for socializing and bike storage. LS3P also recently completed a renovation of the shelter’s administrative offices to create a more inviting lobby space, private offices, and a large conference room.

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Preventing Homelessness: Quality Affordable Housing

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ffordable housing is typically defined as costing no more than 30% of a household’s income in terms of rent or mortgage plus utilities. Housing that exceeds that percentage can strain a household budget and make it difficult to save for an emergency, or to provide consistently for basic needs such as food and healthcare. Families or individuals who struggle to cover housing costs are already economically vulnerable, and are at a significantly higher risk of experiencing homelessness.

Unfortunately, we are experiencing a nationwide affordable housing crisis. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), the housing stock includes an average of 37 affordable, available homes

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for every 100 extremely low income households- a shortage of 63 affordable units for every 100 households. Almost eleven million households spend more than 50% of their income on rent, a number which continues to climb as income inequality grows. Many of those who experience a severe housing cost burden are the working poor. Those working minimum wage would have to work approximately 112 hours per week to pay affordable rent on a modest twobedroom apartment; two full-time jobs are not sufficient to meet basic needs.

available, affordable units. Though there is a housing shortage across the income spectrum, the “missing middle�- housing in the $250 and $300K range- is driving middle-income home buyers towards purchasing properties in lower-income neighborhoods, often disrupting the supply of affordable housing for those who need it most.

Housing discrimination further compounds the difficulty for many people in an already competitive market for securing affordable housing.

What is driving up costs and putting affordable housing out of reach? Housing prices are rising twice as fast as wages, and widening economic equality can limit development in under resourced areas. Lack of political will to bolster affordable housing stock and tax structures that minimize developer incentives to include affordable housing in new developments all add to the problem.

Downward pressure from home buyers at higher income levels is increasingly affecting the number and cost of

Cities who are committed to providing affordable housing at all levels are finding innovative solutions for housing at a range of incomes. Strategies include land banking, inclusionary zoning, developer fees, density bonuses for including affordable housing in projects, workforce housing, transitoriented development with affordability, strategic infill, and investment in middlerange housing.

Understanding that affordable housing is a vital component of a healthy city, LS3P has worked extensively in the affordable housing market to provide hundreds of units of high-quality homes for people across a range of housing needs.

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CASE STUDY:

Architectural Character and Neighborhood History Chicora Crest Affordable Housing Greenville, SC The century-old Haynie-Sirrine neighborhood is one of Greenville’s first African American communities. The neighborhood has a rich cultural history, but in recent decades its housing stock had fallen into neglect. In spite of economic adversity, many residents have chosen to remain in the neighborhood and continue to make significant contributions, not just within Haynie-Sirrine but also within the greater Greenville community. These individuals provide a strong foundation for the rebirth of the area. Major changes to address this issue are ongoing, and many blighted structures have been removed in order to make way for a comprehensive revitalization of the community.

The Chicora Crest Development, a project orchestrated by Homes of Hope and designed by LS3P, includes eleven affordable-rental structures as part of a managed approach to improving the neighborhood’s housing stock and the physical condition of the community. The construction of eighteen additional single-family structures introduced new affordable owner-occupied for-sale properties to the neighborhood.

Homes of Hope’s goal is not simply to build homes, but also to improves lives by reinforcing the architectural character of the culturally vibrant neighborhood.

The new housing will be authentically compatible with its surroundings, with five key design components including 1) designing to enhance the pedestrian orientation of the urban street grid; 2) maintaining the neighborhood’s traditional 24 The Architecture of Compassion

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building setbacks for porches and façade elements; 3) complementing the geometry of the existing homes in the neighborhood and its surroundings; 4) detailing the homes in keeping with the surrounding predominant architectural styles and 4) maintaining a density equal to or slightly greater than the balance of the neighborhood.

A home’s physical character is inextricably linked to self-esteem and to community pride; thus, high-quality affordable housing must be designed and constructed with economic efficiencies in mind, but must do so without sacrificing good architecture and craftsmanship. Homes of Hope has helped Greenville has set the stage for neighborhood success through encouraging sound urban design and architectural principles.

Beyond design, Homes of Hope’s collective commitment to affordable housing takes a stable long-term approach that allows long-time neighborhood residents to remain in familiar surroundings. Completion of the homes at Chicora Crest has created perpetual islands of affordability, allowing neighborhood residents viable options to remain in and contribute to their community even as community economics and demographics shift toward upward mobility.

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CASE STUDY:

Providing for the “Missing Middle” Twin Lakes Cottage Neighborhood Greenville, SC The Twin Lakes Cottage Neighborhood Development, an innovative affordable housing development, is geared toward providing for-sale homes for the middle market sector of the Greenville workforce. Targeting this market fills a housing market void and aims to reduce the upward cost pressures on Greenville’s more fragile traditionally-lower-income communities.

The neighborhood provides a dense layout of cottage-sized homes clustered around a centrally located, commonly shared, park-like green space. All homes front the green space and feature room-sized porches, and through a variety of property easements, each home has a private side yard garden. Cottages have three bedrooms and two baths with around 1,400 heated SF of living space. Each cottage has an attached two-car garage. The community consists of 36 total units. Thirty units are detached single-family homes and six are duplex-style townhome units. The project is currently under construction and represents the first successful implementation of Greenville’s new Cottage Neighborhood Zoning Ordinance.

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CASE STUDY: New Models of Affordability Greenville County Redevelopment Authority Duplex Prototype Brutontown and Mauldin, SC Duplex houses can boost affordability by providing two units of housing in one structure, creating economic and structural efficiencies while introducing neighborhood density with a familiar residential scale and typology.

LS3P worked closely with the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority (GCRA) to create a duplex prototype that would “hide in plain sight� and provide new workforce housing that fits seamlessly into their existing early twentieth century neighborhoods. These duplex designs are being implemented in targeted neighborhoods in the Brutontown and Mauldin areas to create 30 units of affordable rental housing.

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Greenville County Redevelopment Authority Duplex Prototype

CASE STUDY: Housing, Historic Preservation, and Restoring the Urban Fabric Showcase Savannah Savannah, GA While Savannah is widely known for its beautiful, historic architecture, an ongoing dichotomy exists with many older homes owned by those living near or below the poverty level. The high cost of maintenance and rehabilitation of historic homes is exacerbated by limited resources.

Neil Dawson, LS3P’s Savannah Office Leader, is intimately familiar with the Savannah’s historic building fabric and the complexities of preservation.

As Rehabilitation Coordinator for the City of Savannah from 1991 to 1994, Neil was a key part of Showcase Savannah, an innovative program which brought together residents, financial institutions, and the City government to address problems of crime, litter, dilapidated structures, and other blight.

The program included an initiative which restored old homes of low-income residents with low-interest loans in partnership with local banks. The City of Savannah Department of Housing was ranked first in the nation as producer of HUD home-ownership Showcase Savannah examples

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rehabilitation loans in 1991; in 1992, the Ford Foundation and Harvard University recognized the program with an Innovations in State and Local Government Award as one of the 25 most innovative programs in the nation.

The City partnered with local banks to form the Community Housing Services Agency (CHSA). Thanks to underwriting from the City, banks provided loans that would not typically be available. As head of the City’s Housing Design and Construction group, Neil was responsible for the CHSA’s project design and development and led CHSA’s Meldrim Row and Huntingdon Row restoration projects. Meldrim Row, a group of 48 row homes built for railroad workers in the late 19th century, received a Preservation Award from the Historic Savannah Foundation.

The City of Savannah also partnered with local banks to create an affordable homeownership auction. The architects leveraged HUD funding to renovate blighted properties that were owned by the City as a result of tax forfeitures; the majority of

these homes were historic. The City collaborated to prequalify low- and moderate-income families for loans.

These prequalified families were then invited to bid on the restored homes.

In 1995, Savannah’s Affordable Housing Auction Program won the US Treasury’s National Social Impact Award for innovative private-public partnerships. One of these homes, 321 E. Bolton Street, also received a Historic Savannah Foundation, preservation award.

CASE STUDY: Inclusionary, Equitable, Affordable Housing as a “Good Neighbor” Solution Genesis Homes Greenville, SC Architects love design challenges and the process of developing creative solutions. When presented with the opportunity to design affordable Homelessness, Housing, and Hope 33

housing, it can be tempting to explore modernist forms, innovative materials, or outside-the-box solutions. Ultimately, however, the best affordable housing is more about inclusion than attention. Familiar forms which fit with the scale, materials, and typologies of the existing neighborhoods are always welcome, both to the people who will inhabit the homes and their neighbors. On the surface, a “traditional” design solution may appear “new urbanist,” but in reality, it’s “old urbanist.”

Authentic, thoughtfully considered homes which integrate with the existing built environment are part of a “good neighbor” response to design.

Genesis Homes, an affordable housing provider in South Carolina’s Upstate region, focuses on high-quality rental housing targeting households at or below 50% and 60% of the Area Median Income. Additionally, Genesis Homes seeks to stabilize and re-energize existing neighborhoods by keeping current residents in place. Genesis works with partners such as the City of Greenville, SC Housing, and the South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development to fund and manage its properties.

LS3P has collaborated with Genesis Homes on 74 units of affordable housing to date, predominantly in the Nicholtown, Greenline and Haynie-Sirrine neighborhoods in Greenville, SC and the Laurens Mill and Jersey Neighborhoods in Laurens, SC. 34 The Architecture of Compassion

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