Members: Laila Darsee, Brooke Jennings, Stanley Macharia, Micca Marzan, Stephan “Kat” Roberts-York, Abdul Sultani, Isaiah Watson
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic’s onset in Seattle and surrounding areas, there has been a notable escalation in visible homelessness across the region. Encampments along sidewalks and area parks, RVs parked in industrial areas and store parking lots, and homeless drug addicts walking around with everything they own in a bag have become increasingly common not just in Seattle, but in outlying cities such as Auburn and Kent. The emergence of the Coronavirus has exacerbated existing challenges faced by individuals experiencing homelessness, further highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive and effective responses to address this issue.
Individuals experiencing chronic homelessness often grapple with substance abuse or mental health challenges, which can impede their ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle and ability to look after themselves. Recognizing the critical role of stable housing in facilitating rehabilitation, there is a need for programs to prioritize providing individuals with housing solutions as the initial step, one that forgoes traditional prerequisites and gets them off the streets quickly.
There are thousands of people in Washington state who lack a space of privacy and safety due to their own circumstances, usually from problems relating to addiction, mental health and financial stresses. Having to struggle to live properly, homeless people can or are exposed to numerous dangers such as drugs, violence, exploitation, strong weather conditions, etc. Homeless people have no choice but to live off scraps and seek various areas for shelter, making this a problem that urgently needs solving. We observed the lack of resources homeless people have around Washington and the consequences occur daily in their lives. Growing up here, us as a group have seen the prevalence of homeless people rise in our communities, making this an issue we would like to be involved in solving.
As stated during class, this proposal is designed to make sure that the small win that you’ve chosen meets the requirements of our class. That is, a complex task that requires more than 1 person to accomplish (a basic definition of the purpose of a group), and that it can be accomplished within the timeline of about 4 weeks. In addition, it needs to be consistent with the college’s guidelines for the safety and security of our students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Once the criteria was established and made to fit under stipulated measures of time and resources, members brainstormed on how to tackle the problem at hand. First suggestion was geared on a psychological approach where we would subject the target group to an emotional uplift with attempts to assist them recover from stress and depression, ie. handing out encouraging notes and messages.
Second suggestion aimed at addressing their environmental state of being. This involved formulating ways in which we would alleviate the target group’s surroundings and resources available to them in order to address some of their basic needs. Ideas such as volunteering at a food bank or another establishment whose main purpose is to aid the homeless population, ie. Sound Foundations NW for tiny homes.
After evaluating proposed solutions based on their alignment with solution criteria, potential impact, and feasibility within the scope of a college project, our group decided to pursue the construction of at least one home for our unhoused neighbors. This decision was reached through a unanimous group vote. We chose this solution because it offers a direct response to homelessness while presenting relatively few barriers to implementation. Additionally, we identified an established organization already tackling this issue, and one of our group members has a pre-existing relationship with them. This partnership facilitated collaboration and streamlined the implementation process, enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of our project.
Once there was an agreement that we would pursue the tiny homes solution, our group planned a date and time for us to complete it. On the 3rd of March, we traveled together to the “Sound Foundations NW” warehouse in the warehouse district of Seattle to participate in the building of up to 12 tiny homes. Due to there being multiple groups booked in on the day, we completed various small tasks such as painting, caulking and many more. We spent roughly 4 hours lending help to the foundation and going on a tour of the facility, while also being educated on Seattles’ plans on helping transition the homeless into a better overall situation.
The fact that every one of us was able to complete their tasks when they had promised to do so made this project executed effectively. Each task was completed ahead of schedule, and nobody encountered difficulties completing their allocated tasks or finding out what they needed to accomplish. The fact that everyone loved working together on a project made us successful as a group. Everyone performed admirably and completed everything on time.
Rothwell, J. D. (2021). Traits perspective: The born leader view. In mixed company: Communicating in small groups and teams (pp. 257-262). Oxford University Press.
Why transitional tiny home villages work*. Sound Foundations NW. (n.d.). https://www.soundfoundationsnw.org/
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