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Posts Tagged ‘Homeless’

Bringing Photography to the Homeless

26 Aug

Being creative is often considered a luxury. However, the folks at Café Art are taking steps to make art accessible for everyone.

Back in July, they handed out 100 dispo cams to homeless individuals around London. Allowing many of them a much needed creative outlet and the opportunity to be featured in a calendar being put together via Kickstater.

Check out a few of the photos and stories here. Contribute to the Kickstarter and receive your own calendar or original print. Proceeds go toward the artists, production costs and donations to offset the ecological impact of printing and shipping the calendars.

Wow. Café Art seriously knows how to be the good in this world.

Photo by 16 Year Old, Ellen Rostant

© Erin for Photojojo, 2015. |
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Retired Buses to Become Mobile Homeless Shelters & Showers

19 Jun

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

converted mobile homeless shelter

A fleet of still-functional city buses in Hawaii sits idle simply because the vehicles have too many miles for continued use in their current capacity, creating a unique opportunity to redeploy them toward helping the homeless. Thanks to a group with a vision and starting this summer, these retired transit vehicles will begin to be turned into mobile spaces and service centers for local populations in need of a place to stay and other basic necessities.

converted bus interior space

Developed by volunteer architects and Honolulu-based Group 70 International, the idea is simple: each of the dozens of buses will be converted to a single new purpose, providing bedroom spaces in some cases but also places to get cleaned up, accept and deploy donations (warm meals, fresh produce and clean clothes) and much more.

converted bus diagram design

From bathrooms and showers to sleeping quarters, each conversion can be done with tools and materials from the local hardware shop and be completed with unskilled volunteer labor. These relatively low-cost retrofits are designed to be donation-driven, providing all of the amenities of traditional homeless shelters with added flexibility and portability.

converted bus homeless shelter

converted buses hawaii

The resulting fleet will be versatile, able to split up and move in sections depending on need and travel to various locations to serve target groups where they are found. Existing seating inside the buses will be stripped and removed then replaced with remodeled elements suited to each vehicle’s new use. The first two conversions are to be completed by the end of this summer, ready for test deployments.

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Homeless Shelters: Creative & Convertible Urban Furniture

Regardless of your view of street dwellers or opinion on best solutions to these problems, suspend your judgment for a moment to take in these cool designs!
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Rough Sleeper: Mobile Backpack Shelter for Urban Homeless

Amid the various conceptual designs for addressing large-scale homelessness, this working prototype stands out as refreshingly realistic, practical and …
Click Here to Read More »»


Mobile Village: Seattle Teens Build Micro-Homes for Homeless

Serving a nomadic homeless shanty town known as Nickelsville, the Impossible City project involves a group of a teenagers who are creating not just tiny houses …
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Mobile Village: Seattle Teens Build Micro-Homes for Homeless

13 May

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

seattle shack designs

Serving a nomadic homeless shanty town known as Nickelsville, the Impossible City project involves a group of a teenagers who are creating not just tiny houses but also solar power stations, composting latrines and a community kitchen.

seattle homeless build

seattle homeless camp help

Nickelsville moves from place to place, going where land is available since its residents cannot afford to pay rents. Slowly but surely, thanks to this project, its rickety collection of tarps, tents and donated Home Depot shacks are being replaced by modest but functional shelters.

homes for homeless

seattle homeless home

The challenge is non-trivial – the structures need to be somewhat easy to disassemble and move while also meeting city code and basic safety standards. Backing the youth builders is Sawhorse Revolution, an area non-profit that teaches kids how to use tools and build structures.

seattle homeless project

seattle homeless shelter

While many institutions, organizations and governments take an all-or-nothing approach, trying and generally failing to get the homeless off the streets, this project attempts to take on the actual situation on the ground, bridging the gap between sleeping on the streets and having a permanent residence.

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Parasite Tent Pods: Vertical Urban Wall Homes for Homeless

In cities around the world, people are feeling the effects of a weak global economy and homeless populations continue to rise. Taking shelter in cardboard …
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Boneyard Studios: Vacant Lot Hosts New Micro-Home Village

In a bold bid to change urban landscapes, a series of tiny home builders and enthusiasts has come together to turn empty space into a microcosmic example of …
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Modular Retrofit: Bamboo Micro-Homes in Deserted Factories

A pragmatic twist on visionary plug-and-play architecture, this project combines a cheap and fast-growing material with existing (abandoned) infrastructure to …
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Geodesic Housing for the Homeless: Dome Made of Umbrellas

03 Mar

[ By Steph in Drawing & Digital. ]

earth lander 1

Could a low-cost, lightweight geodesic dome made from umbrellas, garbage bags and a space blanket provide a real life-saving solution for people forced to sleep on the streets? ‘Earth Lander’ reclaims common materials in totally unexpected ways for a visual result that looks just as its name suggests, and it’s thermally efficient, providing a warm space that’s also resistant to water and wind.

earth lander 2

earth lander 3

Umbrella frames were altered to make them more structurally secure, and combined with waterproof umbrella fabric to create the outer structure. Air-filled garbage bags, cellulose wool and a space blanket provide insulation.

earth lander 4

earth lander 5

The umbrellas were assembled to create a geodesic dome that Bucky Fuller would be proud of. The transparent trash bags act as inflatable windows so the inhabitant can peer outside, and the octagonal door is secured with ties.

earth lander 6

earth lander 7

It’s an intriguing idea that could help save the lives of countless homeless people who die from exposure each year during the harsh winter months, and keep them dry in other seasons. Check out 14 more innovative ideas for homeless housing, from similar short-term survival shelters to long-term transitional living spaces.

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Housing for the Homeless: 14 Smart & Sensitive Solutions

These 14 concepts for homeless housing range from ideas that meet immediate needs for survival to those that take a more thoughtful and long-term approach.
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Lightweight ‘Airbeams’ Frame Inflatable Geodesic Dome Tent

Derived from crystal structure of diamonds and geodesic domes of Buckminster Fuller, these all-weather structures are astonishingly strong but incredibly light …
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Parasite Tent Pods: Vertical Urban Wall Homes for Homeless

In cities around the world, people are feeling the effects of a weak global economy and homeless populations continue to rise. Taking shelter in cardboard …
Click Here to Read More »»


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Bench to Bedroom: Urban Furniture Turned Homeless Shelters

25 Jul

[ By Steph in Design & Guerilla Ads & Marketing. ]

raincity housing project shelter

Whereas London and Montreal have installed spikes on the sidewalks to keep homeless people from getting too comfortable, Vancouver offers a kind welcome with benches that transform into mini-shelters. A nonprofit called RainCity Housing teamed up with Spring Advertising to create the modified public benches in order to provide a covered place to sleep while simultaneously raising awareness.

Bench Homeless Shelter 1

RainCity provides specialized housing and support services for the homeless in Vancouver. This two-part project highlights the importance of RainCity’s work without a hint of the exploitation that’s often seen in homeless awareness campaigns, avoiding stereotypical images of derelict people and focusing on a solution instead.

Bus Bench Homeless Shelter 3

Bus Bench Homeless Shelter 4

The first bench, which reads ‘FIND SHELTER HERE,’ has a built-in roof that can easily be folded up when needed. The second features the message ‘This is a bench’ during the day. At night, glow-in-the-dark ink highlights the text ‘This is a bedroom.’

bench bedroom homeless shelter

The Vancouver campaign is one of many thoughtful projects that meet at the intersection of activism and urban design. An open-source street store that’s easy to set up in any city offers free clothes for the homeless, and 14 thought-provoking ideas seek new ways to manage the issue of homelessness whether by meeting the immediate needs of people who live on the streets or providing more long-term transitional living spaces.

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Homeless Shelters: Creative & Convertible Urban Furniture

Regardless of your view of street dwellers or opinion on best solutions to these problems, suspend your judgment for a moment to take in these cool designs!
Click Here to Read More »»


Homeless Hotel: Radical Urban Retreat has No Rooms, Ever

You may have seen some strange and unique accommodations, but few hosts can boast something as unusual as this unreal room-free resort in Sweden.
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Parasite Tent Pods: Vertical Urban Wall Homes for Homeless

In cities around the world, people are feeling the effects of a weak global economy and homeless populations continue to rise. Taking shelter in cardboard …
Click Here to Read More »»


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Open-Source Street Store Offers Free Clothes for Homeless

05 Mar

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Guerilla Ads & Marketing. ]

pop up store hangars

Donated boxes of right-sized clothing can be a boon for those who cannot afford another choice, but this clever approach empowers people in need to choose their own apparel.

pop up sidewalk homeless

pop up shoppers

The Street Store assistants set out flat-pack cardboard hangars, signs and stands along sidewalks and fences, encouraging people to drop off clothing. Volunteers also help passerby in need package what what they find, and those with something to give find a place to put their donations.

pop up helper volunteer

Though the project was started in Cape Town, South Africa, as a collaboration between M&C Saatchi Abel and the Haven Night Shelter Welfare Organisation, it is offered as open-source to applicants from around the world who wish to use the files and create their own  regional variant.

pop up shop volunteer

The open-air approach makes everything more accessible for both donating and recipient parties; it also renders indoor spaces and infrastructure redundant, enabling pop-ups to happen in various public spaces.

pop up cardboard elements

pop up street store

As for the first day’s effort in the project’s original city: “Over 1,000 homeless people visited our store that day. Each put together an outfit that they wanted. An outfit, that for many, was the first they had ever been able to choose for themselves.”

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WikiHouse: Open-Source DIY Architecture You Can Build

Design, ‘print’ and assemble your own WikiHouse using free open-source software and a local CNC mill to cut the parts, even iwith no prior building experience.
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Wear It’s At: 7 Futuristic Developments in Fashion + Clothes

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Open House(s): 10 Wonderful Open-Plan Home Designs

Open floor plans allow even the smallest cottage to seem spacious and luxurious. These 10 homes with open plans are the pinnacle of modern architectural design.
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Rough Sleeper: Mobile Backpack Shelter for Urban Homeless

25 Dec

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

homeless-animated

Amid the various conceptual designs for addressing large-scale homelessness, this working prototype stands out as refreshingly realistic, practical and applicable to the everyday needs of those sleeping on the streets: mobility, storage and shelter.

homeless shelter backpack design

homeless portable micro shelter

Ragnhild Lübbert Terpling, who studied both design and journalism, created the pack both for homeless populations and ordinary campers, the latter purchasers subsidizing the former group that is in greater need.

homeless shelter backpack

On its functionality: “the hybrid backpack expands into a fully retractable tent-like structure, providing extensive shelter for both those in need or for encampment purposes. Once compressed, the bag supplies enough space for storing essential living supplies; blankets, shoes, and other toiletries.”

homeless backpack contents open

Additional items, like spare shoes or a sleeping roll, can be lashed to the exterior of the pack, while more essential and personal possessions are tucked into compartments that are less easily accessed or removed for additional security.

homeless backpack extras lashed

homeless shelter tent deployed

While it by no means ‘solves’ the problem of homelessness, this product adds a layer of comfort and durability absent from typical de facto shelters like cardboard covers or sleeping bags. In short: it is more short-term patch than long-term problem solver, but at least it is a place to start.

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Second Skin: Kevlar Backpack for Life & Travel in War Zones

For many of the world’s citizens (and travelers), the threat of bodily harm from war or terror attacks is a daily fact of life. Constructed of … Click Here to Read More »»


Urban Fabric: Stretched, Stitched & Suspended Mobile Home

Imagine rooms that expanded and compressed depending on occupancy, then stretch your mind to conceptualize a whole home that works the same way – it … Click Here to Read More »»


Details & Diagrams: $ 1,000 IKEA Flat-Pack Refugee Shelter

Emergency shelters are designed to be short-term solutions, and many cannot withstand rain, wind and sun for more than six months. Yet the average stay in … Click Here to Read More »»


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Parasite Tent Pods: Vertical Urban Wall Homes for Homeless

22 Dec

[ By Delana in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

parasitic homeless tent community

In cities around the world, people are feeling the effects of a weak global economy and homeless populations continue to rise. Taking shelter in cardboard boxes or in isolated tents can be dangerous – not only due to inclement weather, but also for the fear of robbery or violence.

hanging tents for homeless population

The A-Kamp47 project from Malka Architecture gives the homeless a safe place to sleep. Using a blank vertical expanse of wall, they installed 23 small tent pods. The pods are “parasitic” structures, meaning that they rely on another structure to provide them a place to sit.

suspended camp for homeless people

Each tent provides a private space for the city’s homeless. The grouping of tents embodies the old adage “safety in numbers.” Residents can enter their tents via the scaffolding between the wall and the tend pods.

a-kamp 47 homeless tent colony

The project is not without controversy; the wall used by the architects exists in a grey area between private and public space. They hope, however, that their efforts will lead to increased awareness of the homeless problem and encourage people to get involved in the cause.

Want More? Click for Great Related Content on WebUrbanist:

Homeless Shelters: Creative & Convertible Urban Furniture

Regardless of your view of street dwellers or opinion on best solutions to these problems, suspend your judgment for a moment to take in these cool designs! Click Here to Read More »»


Walking Shelter: Sneakers Expand Into Human-Frame Tent

The next time you need a portable shelter, you could just pull it out of your sneakers and expand it into a tent using your own body as a frame. The Walking … Click Here to Read More »»


Housing for the Homeless: 14 Smart & Sensitive Solutions

These 14 concepts for homeless housing range from ideas that meet immediate needs for survival to those that take a more thoughtful and long-term approach. Click Here to Read More »»


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Parasite Tent Pods: Vertical Urban Wall Homes for Homeless

11 Dec

[ By Delana in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

parasitic homeless tent community

In cities around the world, people are feeling the effects of a weak global economy and homeless populations continue to rise. Taking shelter in cardboard boxes or in isolated tents can be dangerous – not only due to inclement weather, but also for the fear of robbery or violence.

hanging tents for homeless population

The A-Kamp47 project from Malka Architecture gives the homeless a safe place to sleep. Using a blank vertical expanse of wall, they installed 23 small tent pods. The pods are “parasitic” structures, meaning that they rely on another structure to provide them a place to sit.

suspended camp for homeless people

Each tent provides a private space for the city’s homeless. The grouping of tents embodies the old adage “safety in numbers.” Residents can enter their tents via the scaffolding between the wall and the tend pods.

a-kamp 47 homeless tent colony

The project is not without controversy; the wall used by the architects exists in a grey area between private and public space. They hope, however, that their efforts will lead to increased awareness of the homeless problem and encourage people to get involved in the cause.

Want More? Click for Great Related Content on WebUrbanist:

Homeless Shelters: Creative & Convertible Urban Furniture

Regardless of your view of street dwellers or opinion on best solutions to these problems, suspend your judgment for a moment to take in these cool designs!
Click Here to Read More »»


Walking Shelter: Sneakers Expand Into Human-Frame Tent

The next time you need a portable shelter, you could just pull it out of your sneakers and expand it into a tent using your own body as a frame. The Walking …
Click Here to Read More »»


Housing for the Homeless: 14 Smart & Sensitive Solutions

These 14 concepts for homeless housing range from ideas that meet immediate needs for survival to those that take a more thoughtful and long-term approach.
Click Here to Read More »»


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Human Interest: Homeless Dogs Given Hope-Filled Balloons

14 Aug

[ By WebUrbanist in Global & Travel & Places. ]

homeless dog urban intervention

In a unique urban intervention, two college students took and attached a series of balloons marked with written phrases to stray canines Santiago, Chile. The messages encourage people to feed, pet and play with these ubiquitous animals, lost and in need of love. While one person carried the colorful balloon bouquet and attached the strings, the other of the pair filmed the fascinating results as pedestrians noticed and stopped.

As the video demonstrates, the dogs with balloon additions got the attention of others on the street quite quickly. Man’s neglected best friend became visible once again, with passers by stopping to hand over leftovers and spend time with these estranged animals.

homeless dogs human interest

The project is titled ESTOY AQUÍ (Intervención Urbana), which translates to a simple plea: I AM HERE. Written on the balloons are phrases like ‘feed me’, ‘pet me’, ‘hug me’ and ‘scratch me’.

homeless stray dog project

From young puppies to older pals, thousands of homeless dogs roam the streets of this city. Most of them are friendly and simply in search of scraps – in turn, they are normally humanely avoided but largely ignored as the daily bustle of urban life takes place around them.

homeless pet feed play

Aside from human interest, the dogs themselves sat up and took notice as well, in many cases playing with their own balloons and strings, or interacting with one another’s new colorful accessories.

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