What Does it Mean to Create a Sense of Home?
When we think about the why behind what we do, we think about what building and designing a home really means: It’s a personalized structure, separating us from public life. Having a sense of home means feeling secure, familiar, and comfortable. Unfortunately for many, that isn’t the case. Over the past several years we’ve been working with organizations around Los Angeles to aid housing-insecure families.
Unable to ignore the pervasive homeless epidemic sweeping Los Angeles, we partnered up with designer Lori Dennis, Lamps Plus, and Pen & Napkin to design the first homes of families transitioning out of homelessness into a space of their own. Most recently we teamed up again with Lori Dennis and Lamps Plus, but this time with the Sense of Home organization, whose focus is on the first homes of those who have aged out of foster care. Give this video above a watch for a peek into the process.
A Sense of Home
Furniture and building is another tool those of us more fortunate have at our disposal to help lift up those in need. One of the coolest parts of working with a Sense of Home is correcting the reciprocal cycle of foster care youth in a positive direction: recipients of the program pay it forward by working with former foster youth, themselves. We think that’s pretty cool! If you’re in the Los Angeles area, learn how to get involved with a Sense of Home by watching their info video here:
Not Stopping There…
The thing is, this was a lot of work that went into helping one single family in need. That is a reality we have to face and try to not get too overwhelmed with when it comes to thinking about solving these problems on a larger scale. Lead designer Lori Dennis is going to be speaking at ted X Santa Barbara on the topic this month. Get more info about ted and how to break poverty cycles through design thinking here:
