Armory Gardens

Problem

Homelessness is a wicked problem. While designing more housing is important, we as designers must tackle the problem with empathy in order to make meaningful impact. My teammates and I held onto this belief as we entered the UC Berkeley competition to develop homeless housing for veterans in Woodlake, Sacramento.

The Homeless Crisis At a Glance*:

people are homeless in the US.

of homeless in the US are found in California.

increase in homelessness per year in Sacramento.

20% of homeless have severe mental illness.

weak social ties increase chance of homelessness.

govt. housing regulations worsen the problem.

* According to Homeless Policy Institute and Acton Institute.

Research

To understand the people and community we are serving, we spent the following few weeks reaching out to stakeholders and residents.

Q1: What are some priorities for developing homeless housing for veterans?

Jeff,
‍Affordable Housing Developer

Jason,
Homeless Housing Expert

Sherri,
‍CA Housing Department Staff

Leon,
Veteran Service Worker

Q2: How can this development benefit the neighborhood?

Andy,
Development Advocate

Jess,
Staff at
NGO for Homeless

Susan,
Resident Service Manager

Becky,
Neighborhood Association Organizer

We identified 4 critical design drivers from our interview responses:

Targeted Mixed Demographic

Design for Comfort

Prioritize Safety

Meet Veteran-specific Needs

Create Community

Empathizing

While interviews helped us to understand the needs of the stakeholders, we designed two personas to guide our design process: a formerly homeless veteran tenant and a member from the neighborhood association.

Meet Bill, 67 yo
Formerly homeless veteran

‍Bill is a Vietnam war veteran who was homeless for a year before receiving supportive housing at Armory Gardens through a local veteran housing non-profit organization. He struggles with PTSD and drug addiction, but is currently connected with services that help address his medical needs. He looks forward to making a new start in life at Armory Gardens.

Priorities:

Veterain supportive services

Stable social ties

Spacious living quarters

Meet Jane, 42 yo
Chair of the Woodlake Neighborhood Association

Jane moved Woodlake with her husband from New England three decades ago and they own an English cottage adjacent to Armory Gardens. She enjoys the secluded suburban lifestyle in the neighborhood and fears that low-income development would impact the safety of her community. She is an active voice in the Neighborhood Association and would consider supporting the project if it provides dedicated community-serving amenities.

Priorities:

Suspicious of development

Worries about safety

Wants community amenities

Visualizing

Borrowing the method of storyboarding in user research, I crafted various spatial vignettes as customized walk-throughs for the two personas developed earlier. We presented these visuals as stories to garner support and feedback from the stakeholders we interviewed in the beginning of the competition.

Scenario 1: Bill moving in to Armory Gardens

Today is Bill’s move-in day. Not having many belongings with him, he arrived at Armory Gardens by the light rail.

He enters the lobby and breathes a sigh of relief. Not only is the space welcoming, he also notices the conveniently located Wellness Center he would be visiting regularly.

Walking down the corridor, he arrives at his studio. He’s happy that the tall ceiling and wood interior makes it feel spacious and he finally has a place to call home!

Scenario 2: Jane visiting the community center

Jane walks over to Amory Gardens to check out the new community center. She’s been worried about the impact of the development on neighborhood safety.

She finds the center well utilized, and people were really enjoying the computers and amenities.

Exiting into the open courtyard, she finds many of her neighbors enjoying the picnic tables. She thought: “This would be a great place to spend her Sunday afternoons!”

Storyboard Graphics: Created in collaboration with Lily Oyler.

Through these stakeholder presentations, we were able to receive feedback from housing and veteran experts while generating enthusiasm among residents for the potential development.

ARMORY GARDENS