Conference Proceedings 2010 [pdf] - Art & Design Symposium ...

The Homeless Shelter Family Dorm Room Reconsidered: A Design To Increase Residents’
Control
Jill Pable, Florida State University
Kenan Fishburne & Pam Andras, Mainstreet Design & Florida State University
Homelessness is a widespread social issue in the United States, and statistics suggest that it is escalating
rapidly in scope and severity. Homeless families are increasingly prevalent as evidenced by the fact that 39%
of the homeless are children, and represent the fastest growing segment of the population in a national 2005
survey (U.S. Conference of Mayors).
This presentation describes an in-progress interior design research study that seeks to reduce perceptions of
crowding and its consequential stress on homeless families by examining the nature of family dormitory
sleeping spaces in homeless shelters. This topic is notable because studies suggest that perceptions of
crowding can exacerbate feelings of loss of control, which in turn can affect willingness to seek employment
(Burn, 1992).
A recent pilot study conducted in the state of Florida surveying administrators of transitional-style homeless
shelters confirmed that a typical family shelter sleeping room for four is often approximately 10’ x 12’ in size- a
square footage that greatly exceeds commonly accepted measures of environmental crowding of one person
per room for western dwellings (Pable, 2009; Baldassarre, 1979). It is not unusual for a homeless shelter
family dormitory sleeping room to be inhabited by a family for six months or more (see figure 1). Further,
shelters may also assign two families (typically consisting of a parent and child) to a single room which places
not only the strain of confined space on these individuals but also the extra burden of unfamiliarity with others
in a room dedicated to personal space.
In an effort to counteract probable crowding effects, this study sought to determine the utility of adding small
but meaningful environmental upgrades to these rooms strategically designed to lessen crowding stress and
potentially restore a sense of personal control. This presentation will specifically address the programming,
design and installation aspects of the study’s experimental sleeping room at a Florida homeless shelter. The
larger study examines residents’ perceptions of the improved room and will be presented, pending acceptance,
at other conference and publication venues.
Programming Activities: Resident and Staff Focus Group Results
The researchers identified the need to deeply understand existing residents’ perceptions of dwelling within a
transitional homeless shelter. Therefore, a series of interviews with homeless residents and shelter staff
yielded information which shaped the priorities of the room’s upgrades.
1. Enhanced privacy was among the most often cited request by residents. As the study’s targeted shelter
does not permit locks on doors and it is necessary for resident assistants to perform bed checks, residents
often felt their privacy was not respected. Conversely, staff voiced concerns that if residents were able to lock
their rooms they might invite others in through the bedroom windows.
2. A priority for residents was the security of their possessions. Theft of food, jewelry and other belongings was
a perceived and sometimes realized concern of the residents. Security perceptions, in turn, affected how
residents used the bedrooms. For example, though the bedrooms were set up so that two bedrooms (housing
four people each) shared a private bathroom, residents never left any bathroom supplies there, preferring
instead to keep them in their own bedrooms. This in turn added to the general clutter observed within the
bedrooms.
3. Residents also repeatedly identified the need for further storage space of their possessions and the ability to
organize those possessions. Observations of occupied rooms revealed that many residents were forced to pile
significant quantities of food, clothing, toys and other articles on top of an unused bed in their rooms as they
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