Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64Turn that creativity toward social issues, and life-changing solutions could be found. Here are a few ideas people have come up with to address homelessness that are cost-effective and simple (and sometimes just a bit off kilter). WHAT IS A HOUSE? A ustralian architect and artist Sean Godsell continues to ask the question of how we might define the term house in an urban environment. “A humane city,” says Godsell on his website, “can provide its homeless [people] with the most rudimentary shelter by building it into the city’s infrastructure—park benches, bus shelters, tram stops, and so on, and indeed a measure of the sophistication of a society is in how well it treats its underprivileged.” Rather than installing public structures that deter homeless people from finding respite there, Godsell sets his sights on items that serve the public while accommodating homeless individuals. His designs include a park bench that lifts up to provide basic shelter from weather, a bus stop that converts to emergency accommodation (complete with a blanket dispenser), a picnic table house that adjusts to keep out the weather, and the future shack— a mobile, emergency shelter built from recycled shipping containers. CARDBORIGAMI S ometimes finding creative solu- tions means thinking inside the box. Los Angeles-based designer Tina Hovsepian was an architecture student studying the practical qualities of cardboard as a temporary shelter. Inspired by the ancient art of Japanese paper folding (origami), she invented a shelter that is portable, waterproof, insulated, flame retardant, recyclable, and inexpensive. Because it is easy and affordable to distribute, Hovsepian hopes her idea will translate well for use with natural disasters and displaced people groups all over the world. Her eye-catching Cardborigami shelter is restoring dignity to those who live in the streets and serving as a launch pad for improving their quality of life. “The main point of why I designed Cardborigami,” says Hovsepian, “although it does provide instant shelter and space, privacy and protection, is to be a launching pad to get people into permanent housing… we want to empower individuals to do better for themselves.” TINY HOUSING T wo popular movements are combining to redefine home- lessness solutions across organi- zations nationwide. Millennials have adopted the tiny house movement as an alternative housing lifestyle by those who embrace minimalism and financial freedom. Today, the nano-home trend has been touted as a simple solution for chronically homeless people. Artist Gregory Kloehn is building tiny homes in Oakland, California, producing safe, portable homes from salvaged materials—dumpsters, ship- ping containers, wood pallets—often illegally dumped, for less than $100 each. Then he adds a splash of color and one-of-a-kind flair, and these nano- homes bring a smile to those in even the most dire of situations. Today, he’s teaching communities and volunteers how to think small and create inexpen- sive, safe housing for homeless people. He is inspired by the ingenuity of people who are homeless and how they use things that other people discard to survive. He recently told a Rotary Club crowd, “Just humanizing the homeless, and hanging out with them…that’s been the biggest plus for me.” In Hawaii, authorities are putting 26 WWW.AGRM.ORG JULY/AUGUST 2016 Inspired by the ancient art of Japanese paper folding (origami), she invented a shelter that is portable, waterproof, insulated, flame retardant, recyclable, and inexpensive.