Cultivating an architectural alternative : housing for street youth

Homelessness is not a problem of "social misfits" but results from established social structures

in cities such as Ottawa. Presumably, the potential for poverty will always exist in major cities

around the world, but an individual's right to shelter should never be in question. As a society, all

too often we both overlook the extent of homelessness and fail to see its population as a

heterogeneous group. Failure to address this diversity, as the failure to recognize diversity in

general, only leads to the further breakdown of urban social structure. Homeless youth represent

a vast portion of the "street" population; hence, as both children/youth and homeless persons, we

can sav they are a twice-marginalized community. The most telling portrait of how a "civilized"

society is performing can be obtained by exploring the services available to its children. In

Ottawa there are over four-hundred youth annually utilizing emergency shelters and countless

more living on the streets.1 This is a shocking number that underscores the severity of the

homeless condition in Ottawa.

The fundamental nature of a "home" is not easily described, but in North American society'

the term often surrounds the idea and ideal of a cultural belonging. To a family, however

constituted, "home" is a forged sense of people and place. It is about a local community and the

roles within it. To a child, "home" is a place of comfort and security where he/she can find an

emotional and mental state of refuge. It is a place of nourishment and growth where one's core

values and memories are established. My research aims to explore the concept of "home" as it

pertains to homeless youth, and their will for self-presentation. In an attempt to define the

essence of a "home" beyond its basic utilitarian purpose as a place of refuge, this thesis will

investigate design principles with which to develop a youth shelter.