Project researched, written, and presented by:
Julia Forrester
Maggie Kent
Danielle Lim
Amy Morrell
Project solutions designed by:
Julia Forrester
Context
The aim of this project was to identify, frame, and solve for a problem facing a vulnerable group in an urban environment. With this aim in mind, my group and I set out to determine the challenges being faced by the houseless population within Toronto, understand the underlying issues and intricacies of the Toronto shelter system and generate a potential solution to the issue.
The Problem
Toronto's shelter system was operating well above its intended capacity even before the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020; now, the demand on the system is even higher (due to the influx of those looking for housing & COVID-19 preventative measures like physical distancing) and shelters are struggling (and failing) to adequately deliver the services upon which so many rely. Intended to be used as a temporary measure to keep people off the streets as they find new housing, shelters have become the primary housing available to thousands of people without permanent shelter in Toronto as housing costs skyrocket & the availability of affordable housing plummets.
Figure 1 - A causal loop diagram of the larger housing system surround the shelter system in Toronto, showcasing how the lack of affordable housing contributes to houselessness within the city, which in turn drives the need for shelters & exacerbates chronic houselessness.
NB: While this causal loop diagram follows the "fixes that fail" archetype, the "shifting the burden" archetype could also have been used.
NB: While this causal loop diagram follows the "fixes that fail" archetype, the "shifting the burden" archetype could also have been used.
Problem Statement: Strain on Toronto's shelter system has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic; how might we innovate to ease this burden, protect residents, and adapt to future demand?
The Process
Once we identified our problem space, we used a stakeholder matrix to determine stakeholders and their individual needs, as these would affect the viability of any prospective solutions.
Figure 2 - A stakeholder matrix that outlines the primary stakeholders in Toronto's houselessness epidemic & their needs, ranked from highest to lowest priority and effect. The relationships between different stakeholder needs (both positive and negative) are also outlined.
After identifying & framing our problem and completing our stakeholder matrix, we set out to create a list of criteria for success against which we could measure potential solutions as we entered the ideation process. These criteria were used to gauge whether or not we had truly addressed the problem that we had identified at the outset of the project. They are as follows:
· Ensures the dignity of shelter staff and residents alike
· Fosters community within the unhoused population and understanding between the housed and unhoused
· Reduces the transmission of COVID-19 in Toronto
· Works within the existing operating model of the shelter system
· Facilitates the pooling of resources between existing stakeholders
· Leverages existing funding models
· Creates innovative solutions for how money is donated to and used by unhoused people in Toronto
· Considers long-term, permanent, sustainable solutions that will last beyond the COVID-19 pandemic
· Sensitive to marginalized and racialized groups within the houseless community
· Increases the resilience of the system in how they handle emergency situations
· Time sensitive, ability to be implemented quickly into the existing system
The Solution
Given the complexity of the houselessness epidemic, our group decided to pursue a preventative innovation strategy, focused on reducing the number of people entering the shelter system, rather than a reactive, band-aid solution approach. Our solution looks specifically at how education and community building or social infrastructure can serve as preventative measures to keep people housed and, consequently, ease the burden on shelters.
The solution we created is Blok & Co., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to shelter-diversion prevention strategies and initiatives. Blok & Co. aims to strengthen communities, build social infrastructure, and shift the perceptions of houselessness through empathy-based awareness projects and community-created content.
Blok & Co consists of three distinct delivery platforms, each with unique objectives, targeted towards housed Torontonians, at-risk youth, precariously housed Torontonians, and unhoused Torontonians.
BlokTEST is a simple tool intended to assess one’s level of housing stability or precarity that is available both digitally on the BlokTO website & in hardcopy format in the BlokTALK zine. Through our research and problem framing, we discovered that many precariously housed people do not realize how unstable their housing situation actually is. Based on their inputs and result, users will be directed to appropriate, individual resources located on BlokTO, our digital hub. By proactively addressing their housing precarity, our hope is that we can keep people in their home and divert them from shelters.
BlokTO is a website, or digital hub, that serves as an aggregator of resources. A one-stop-shop for helpful resources, education, and engagement opportunities, its main role is to bring awareness to the houselessness epidemic and humanize the problem for those not personally affected by it. Through education and understanding, our hope is that visitors will be emboldened to advocate for policy change and additional funding to help end houselessness.
BlokTALK is a free, printed zine, distributed around the city, particularly in low-income areas. Created in collaboration with local high-school students to showcase first-person accounts, local artists, and writers, it serves to build community, in addition to also providing resources and community information in an accessible format.
