FACING HOMELESSNESS PROJECT
Co-Creation
Project Vision
Our project vision was to develop a coordinated entry system in Savannah that addressed the needs of the homeless population and would become viable model for future implementation.
Discover
We guided the first co-creation session, which was about presenting secondary research and gathering deep insights about the systems and organizations currently serving the homeless. We also wanted to become acquainted with our partners as we would all be collaborating together over the next 10 weeks.
Define
We found that the public and private organizations were working hard to serve this community, but that they were not communicating or coordinating their efforts. Also, that the homeless needed information on where to find assistance, food and find shelter. After defining these problems we facilitated the ideation of transformative ideas.
Develop
In this session we gained valuable insight into our clients wants and needs. There were three key steps; ideation, deliberation, and collaboration. We used these to build viable concepts as a group.
Deliver
Our aim was to deliver holistic solutions. These included an identification system that would allow coordination between agencies and organizations, an interactive kiosk that would to the homeless find resources, and a housing first initiative that would offer stable housing.
Result
The Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless (CSAH) is coordinating with various nonprofit and government partners, CSAH staff coordinate access to community resources and referrals for service.
CSAH has also completed Phase 1 of the Tiny House Project and began Phase 2 in December 2019. Phase 1 of the community is currently home to 23 veterans and includes a clubhouse and tiny medical clinic. Phase 2 will provide an additional 24 permanent homes and support services for veterans experiencing homelessness.