In fall, 2022, Parson's School of Design introduced a hands-on art and strategy learning lab inviting students to re-imagine economies, neighborhoods, organizations, and cultures of care. What new interventions, services, interactions and creative placemaking strategies could emerge if we live in a community where care is a priority?
Throughout Orange County, there exists a significant population of college students facing homelessness, resorting to sleeping in their vehicles. A study conducted by UCLA revealed that one out of every five community college students in California experiences homelessness at some time during their academic journey. These findings precede the pandemic and the escalation of inflation, indicating that the present statistics are likely even more distressing.
Additionally, California is notable for having one of the highest rates of loneliness among older adults. In 2019, a significant 20.9% of individuals aged 65 and above in Orange County lived in solitude. Unfortunately, a considerable portion of this demographic experienced profound feelings of isolation and depression.
Senior homeowners and college students who had or are currently sharing a home.
The Orange County Aging Services Collaborative employees
Irvine Senior Center staff
The Development Manager of HomeShare OC
1. The reluctance of older adults to participate in homesharing may be rooted in concerns about safety, privacy, and compatibility with potential housemates, necessitating measures to address these barriers and foster trust.
2. Overcoming biases against individuals experiencing homelessness requires challenging stereotypes, promoting empathy, and raising awareness to encourage homeowners to open their doors to those in need.
3. Cultivating a strong emotional connection between homeowners and students requires strategies such as enhancing communication, promoting mutual respect, and facilitating meaningful interaction to foster a sense of belonging within homesharing communities.
Solution Objectives
To address the challenge of trust and foster meaningful connections in homesharing, we proposed an intervention focusing on three key aspects:
Change the Narrative:
Recognizing the importance of altering perceptions and building trust, our intervention aimed to shift the narrative surrounding homesharing. By emphasizing the positive impact of shared living arrangements, we aimed to dispel misconceptions and inspire confidence in potential participants.
Personalize Stories:
Understanding the power of personal narratives in building empathy, our intervention involved collecting and sharing personalized stories from both homeowners and students who have benefited from homesharing. These stories would highlight the unique experiences, challenges, and triumphs of individuals involved in the program, fostering a deeper understanding and connection among participants.
Foster Relationships:
Emphasize on fostering relationships between homeowners and students before, during, and after the homesharing experience. The "bonding kit" concept, developed in collaboration with the HomeShare OC team, aimed to provide tools and resources for building rapport and connection, such as icebreaker activities, shared interest groups, and ongoing support networks.
Prototype
We employed Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as a foundational framework to cultivate connection, empathy, and care among homesharers.
Building upon this model, we developed the 'Birds of a Feather Kit', comprising seven activities aimed at fostering deeper connections and cultivating empathetic relationships rather than transactional ones among homesharing participants.
New User Journey
Implementing Birds of a Feather
Inside the Kit
1. Fit Check
Personality Diagramming
The diagram should help prospective matches gain insight about each other along metrics that are important to them. As time passes, and the participants update their diagrams, both HIS-OC and the participants themselves can see the ways in which their time together is bringing them closer or moving them further apart. This could be very valuable to HIS-OC as they could use it to evaluate successful matches.
2.The Basics
Chore Checklist
WHY: Divide home task in a fair manner. Would help homeowners and students to stay organized and accountable for home responsibilities and avoid co-living misunderstandings
WHERE: In the kitchen (fridge)
HOW OFTEN: There are some task that are daily, weekly and monthly
HOW:
1) Define tasks and frequency
2) Write down responsible
3) Track your own
4) Share and evaluate what is working and what it isn't.
3a.Safety
House Rules
WHAT: A printable sheet that contains ground rule to ensure home safety- individually & collectively.
WHY: Accidents can happen but are best avoided. Ensuring home safety and creating a safe environment takes conscious effort from each person living in the house and this list is a reminder of what to do and not do.
WHERE: On the fridge or a common pinboard.
HOW OFTEN: Day of moving in.
HOW: This is ideally a collective activity.Sit together and read through the list. Discuss what you feel about each point.Talk about anything else you think is important.Develop a shared understanding and be safe!
3b. Safety
Emergency Binder
WHAT: A small book containing contact details of people to reach out to in case of an emergency related to the participant.
WHY: Emergencies can occur anytime and come without warning. Empowering your housemate with the right information to better help you is important in critical times.
WHERE: By the telephone or in a central space
HOW OFTEN: Create just before moving in or on the day of and access as needed
HOW: This is ideally a collective activity.Find some quiet time together. Fill out the workbook together while openly sharing your experiences & expectations.Keep the books in a central location.
4.Relationships
Empathy Cards
WHAT: Deck of cards with prompts
WHY: Living with a stranger can be hard. These cards are an invitation for homeowners and students to connect by having meaningful conversations, find similarities amongst them and empathize with each other.
WHERE: In a quiet space (home, in a cafe, in a park)
HOW OFTEN: First level to be used the first week and then every 2 months or as desired by participants.
HOW: There are three levels of cards – as you increase the level, the deeper the conversation are meant to get as we expect that by the time that you get to Level 3 you will be comfortable sharing and trusting each other. These are just guiding prompts for you to connect with each other but we encourage you to practice empathy daily and find ways in which living together can empower each of you.
6.Self-Actualization
"Dear Future me" Letters
WHY: When one reflects, you gain a better understanding of what's working and what's not, allowing you to make better decisions
WHERE: Independent activity meant to be done in a relaxing, quiet space conducive for reflection.
HOW OFTEN: Once in the mid of home sharing and once at the end of home sharing
HOW: Consciously fill in the blank spaces of the letters.
7.Connect
Digital Time Capsule
WHY: Reminding participants about their home sharing journey and the intra- and inter-personal growth they’ve had from it will strengthen their intergenerational connectionHomeowners can feeling more fulfilled increases their propensity to share their homes again to others
WHEN: After homesharing ends
HOW: HIS-OC will send the participants SMS and emails with memories of their experience.
3 Months After Moving Out
Hey, {recipient}! Oh, how time flies! 🕊️ Just a few months ago, you started homesharing with {partner}.We bet a lot’s happened since then, so we were thinking …Remember that first “Dear Future Me” letter you wrote yourself a while back? Read it now!
Wondering how {partner} is now? Might be nice to reach out to them at {number} or {email}.
6 Months After Moving Out
How’s it going, {recipient}? How’s {summer ☀️ / fall 🍂 / winter ❄️️ / spring 🌷} treating you?Speaking of treats …Treat yourself to some “me” time! Go ahead and read that second “Dear Future Me” letter you wrote last time!
Don’t you just love it when someone is thoughtful enough to send you something? How does treating {partner} to a little care package sound?
Next Steps
Following the development of the Birds of a Feather Kit, we presented our proposal to Homeshare OC, and they enthusiastically embraced the idea, expressing their intention to integrate it into their program recognizing its potential to enhance the homesharing experience and foster stronger connections between participants.
