Drop-in Facility, Clinic, and Offices
Larkin Street Youth Services
San Francisco, California
Lark-Inn for Youth
Larkin Street Youth Services
San Francisco, California
Aftercare and Assisted Care
Housing and services for youth with HIV/AIDsLarkin Street Youth Services
San Francisco, California
Diamond Youth Shelter
Larkin Street Youth Services
San Francisco, California
with Glass AssociatesRussell
Park Student Family HousingGlass Asscoiates
Transitional Shelter
Warehouse Renovation
Contra Costa County
Concord, California
For
the past several years I have been working with non-profit emergency housing
and service providers designing shelters and facilities for the homeless.
Through my clients I have come to appreciate how much a modest amount
of design can do. Often it is merely figuring out the logistics of getting
the requisite number of beds in a space. Increasingly, however, design
is seen as a means of establishing trust between the provider and the
homeless, and a way to create a sense of belonging for those with little
or no social connection.
It is within this difficult and often tragic arena that architecture serves
its highest purpose. A visit to a museum can be a powerful and moving
experience. Public buildings are a reflection of our culture. But if we
believe that architecture serves a society as well as reflects its values,
then we must provide for those with the most need and the fewest options.
Sam
Davis - from Designing for the Homeless:
Architecture that Works University of California Press
November, 2004
