A Place for the Homeless in our Community

Little Rock, Arkansas
United States of America

AIA Arkansas organized opportunities for government officials, stakeholders, and the general public to discuss and address the needs of the growing homeless population in Little Rock and throughout Arkansas. The chapter conducted a “Sheltering the Homeless” charrette to consider solutions such as temporary shelters, day centers, food service facilities, and affordable housing. Teams of AIA architects, University of Arkansas architecture students, city and county leaders, homeless advocates and service providers, and community activists took part in the project with the goal of offering prototype designs for a facility that could be adapted to fit any community. This initiative sought to heighten the public’s awareness of these issues and promoted the role of the architect as a committed community volunteer and problem solver.

Back Story

In 2004, the National Coalition for the Homeless declared Little Rock as “The Meanest City in America ” in terms of its treatment of homeless people and its negative political climate surrounding this matter. Its burgeoning Hispanic population, many of whom arrived in the area with few resources, and a sizable number of Hurricane Katrina evacuees from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast , strained the state's services for the homeless and further magnified this challenging issue.

In addition to achieving its primary objective of helping the homeless, AIA Arkansas' initiative benefited the community at large by educating and sensitizing the public to this important issue and demonstrating how the community can come together to work on solving problems that affect the state as a whole. The success of this project helped repair Arkansas ' image in regard to its treatment of the homeless population. It also illuminated the role of the architectural community as leaders with the tools and knowledge to make a difference.

AIA Arkansas organized a two-fold event. The first part was a lecture program open to the public held at the Clinton School for Public Service at the Clinton Presidential Library. Guest speakers were Michael Stoops, Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, and Murray Legge, AIA, designer of the Austin , Texas , Resource Center for the Homeless. They discussed the needs of the homeless population as well as potential means of responding to those needs. Following the lecture event was a design charrette that brought together architects and organizations that advocate for and work with the homeless.

To prepare for the charrette, AIA Arkansas studied standout facilities in other locations ( Austin , Boston , and Palo Alto ). Murray Legge's insight and assistance was invaluable to the process. He made recommendations for the type of facility that can best serve the needs of the homeless, and made specific suggestions for the structure's design and location that, based on his experience from the Austin facility, ensure that it will be used to optimal effectiveness and aid the greatest possible number of people. 

Michael Stoops also made recommendations for the facility, emphasizing the importance of keeping it a manageable size, providing a welcoming environment that respects the privacy of those who use it, and segregating segments of the population such as women and families. He also stressed the importance of involving the homeless community — as well as local citizens and businesses — in the facility's design.

The design charrette took place the day after the public event. Held at the Governor's Mansion and opened by Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe, it enabled AIA members to team with community leaders, public officials, experts, and activists for the homeless community to design solutions for a Homeless Resource Center . In addition to proposing designs for the structure, the teams identified potential locations for the facility. Guest speakers Legge and Stoops reviewed and critiqued the designs presented by the teams. The drawings and ideas of each team, recommendations from guest speakers and homeless service providers, information about other nationally recognized facilities for the homeless, and a summary of the AIA Arkansas Blueprint for America project were bound into booklets that were distributed to charrette participants and community leaders.

The outcome of the project was very positive and exceeded expectations. The AIA raised awareness and sensitivity for this important issue, and received a Certificate of Recognition from the Arkansas Coalition for the Homeless for Compassionate Caring in Support of the Homeless. The mayor of Little Rock made the resource center a priority in his new administration, and communication between the homeless community and their advocates and government agencies was greatly improved.