...anyone?

I have decided that I want my product to facilitate relationships between the houseless and other individuals. The current programs and organizations in place do a good job at meeting the immediate needs of the houseless, but it can be difficult to provide meaningful relationships with caring individuals which can be a great catalyst for change. I think the responsibility to treat the houseless like humans falls on us, the citizens of a community.

I want to encourage people who are inexperienced or nervous about approaching or being approached by a houseless person.

My concept is a deck of cards. Games encourage discussion, interaction, and provide a foundation for a relationship. Cards are portable. Cards are lasting. Cards have very little monetary value.

Part of my concept may include printing various things on the backside of the cards.

Some ideas include:
Testimonials from former houseless people
Tips for staying warm
Tips for eating healthy
How to use e-mail

Lately I've been reading Stories from Below the Poverty Line a first hand account of what it means to be a servant to the urban poor written by George Beukema. He expresses his concern for government programs and professional service providers when he writes...

"Three disabling effects result from the way service professionals market needs. First, a need is depicted as a deficiency rather than a condition, a right, or an obligation of another. Second, rather than placing the problem in its full social context, the situation is depicted as a lack on the part of the client. Third, the deficiency is defined in such a way as to direct the response toward professionalized service and away from the resources of residents and their community."

Inspiring words. I believe my solution would be more valuable if it can somehow involve the community that these houseless belong to, rather than rely on government programs.

A chapter in Tony Compolo's book "Speaking My Mind" deals with the harm well-meaning people can do when trying to help those in need. He references Ivan Illich's views concerning this and specifically addresses groups of youth who travel to Third World villages to build schools and churches.

"The local people are awed but are also left with an increased sense of interiority. These well-meaning young people may actually have contributed to disempowering the very people they wanted to help by leaving them with a sense that outsiders are the only ones who can meet their needs or solve their problems."

In the words of my estemed professor, "chapambrose.com sucks!"
I aways seem to get to this point when blogging a project. It usually happens around the ideation phase, I guess it's just such an internal dialogue that I find it hard to translate into words. I also feel it might cheapen the experience in some weird way, but that's another conversation.

Coming up with concepts isn't some mystical rain dance for me. I usually find it to be a very linear, problem oriented process. Discussing the issues that need to be solved and then blurting out the first thing in my head that would solve that issue. Initially most of the ideas actually create more difficulties than they cure, but through a meshing and melting of ideas, connections can be drawn and the "best" solution can usually be distilled.

For this project I feel particularly drawn to people struggling with substance abuse. This stems from my direct and personal relationship with B, a man literally dying because of his habits. This specific situation requires compassion and honesty. I can immediately throw out the "jacket that converts into a sleeping cot idea" not only because it's trite and demeaning, but also because I fear giving something of value to a person who's life is controlled by chemicals and whose focus is on the acquisition of those chemicals.

So they question I face: do I create a product with no outside value OR one with such personal value (such as family heirlooms and photos) that no individual would want to part with it, nor would it be worth anything to anyone else?

Saturday was a life-challenging experience for me. I met a houseless man named B. For reasons unknown to either of us, we clicked. I explained that I was a student and I was trying to understand what it's like to be houseless. He told me he had been in Savannah for two months, on the streets because of bad decisions. He asked me if I really wanted to see true life for him. I did. He showed me--the wondering, the panhandling, the abandoned house he slept behind, the addiction, the bridge he went under to get high.

But more than that he shared his story. Told me about his wife and son. The work he use to love. The mother he hasn't spoken to. The choices he made.

I'm not sure why he was so open with me, I'm not sure why I was so honest with him.

The houseless are not a target market, not research subjects, not an economic class, and not social epidemics. They are people. Individuals. Humans with lives and stories and families and passions and loves. To treat them as a lump of numbers is to cheapen them and rob yourself of friendship.

I went with Michael to a church service tonight. I met him and some of his houseless friends at the square where a van from Savannah Christian came to pick us up. It drove us out to the southside where we were ate and attended their wednesday evening service.

This is exactly what I needed. I feel much better about the project now that I know some of their names and faces. They had some great stories to tell. Funny, sad, real life.

I plan on experiencing this lifestyle first hand. I am nervous. I will stand out, people will know I'm not houseless. I am worried about my prejudices. I want my mind to be clean, undeveloped film ready to absorb every fleeting ray of light.

Michael is a local you have probably encountered if you live in Savannah. I have noticed him often, sometimes preaching passionately to the drunk tourists on river street other times talking and smiling with the homeless. He always carries his bible and faithfully wears bold religious t-shirts everyday.

I spoke with him about his past. Why he does what he does. Why he spends so much time with the homeless. He had some thought-provoking things to say.

I will be meeting him and some of his homeless friends tomorrow in the park. He's going to introduce me to some guys and I think it will be a great opportunity to began a relationship with them. I'll let you know how it goes.

I had a great conversation with Craig. He was able to provide me with information concerning the situation here in Savannah. He has been involved in social work since college, so I think he will be an expert resource for this project.

I was surprised to find out that the Authority employees around 80 people. Most of these people work at local organizations on a daily basis. One of their main priorities is to see that collaboration occurs between all the different services.

It's almost frustrating learning about all of these organizations created to help the houseless. Why do we still have a problem if all this manpower and money is being focused on it. Is the problem too big? Can it ever be solved? Are we not trying hard enough? Do we fully understand the problem?

Today I am meeting with Craig, the executive director of the Homeless Authority here in Savannah. This organization is responsible for statistical data and involved in the disbursement of grants to local services. I think this will be a great opportunity to learn about the specific houseless situation here in Savannah.

Tomorrow I am meeting with Michael, a local street preacher who helps the homeless with clothing and food with Savannah Christian Church. This will be a chance to hear another intriguing perspective, this time with a spiritual spin. I hadn't really considered how religion will play into this project, but I think it's going to be unavoidable.

I talked with Mitchell, his wife Liberty and their son Hank. Mitchell was planning on attending the University of New Orleans this fall. He found out SCAD was helping Katrina victims by googling, "free tuition, art school, katrina." They had some very supportive comments about living in the south.

I spoke with Liberty about the condition of their house and the contents. I asked her about items they took with them during the evacuation, she mentioned photos, family heirlooms, and important papers. In the rush she didn't feel she could think straight, and she also felt like the more seriously she prepared, the more serious the storm would be.

One poignant memory for the family was seeing a truck with flashing lights coming up the street as they were leaving the city. They first thought it was an evacuation truck for the neighborhood children who were playing in the street. But they passed closer by and realized it was an ice cream truck.

I will have the opportunity to speak with a new student here at SCAD that was displaced by hurricane Katrina. This will be a great chance to discuss what feelings are associated with losing a house with someone who just experienced it. Here are some potential questions I have come up with. Please give me some feedback on these, or leave a comment if you would like to add one of your own.

What school did you use to attend?
What items did you take from your house?
Are there any items you wish you would have taken?
Do you know the condition of your residence?
Where did you go?
How did you feel when you found out you couldn't go home?
How did you end up here?
What assistance to you and your family was offered--did you take--did you need--did you want?
How could assitance be improved for you?
What support system or resources has brought you here instead of living in a temporary shelter or housing like others?
What was your experience with poverty in New Orleans
What is your opinion of the media coverage concerning the hurricane?
How did being a husband/father alter the experience for you?

Today I presented my design proposal.