Revolutionizing Congregate Shelter Solutions with Sprung Structures
Homeless shelters are a type of homeless service agency that will provide temporary residence for all those in need. Shelters exist to provide residents with safety and protection from exposure to the weather while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact on the community, providing respite and services to the residents, and a hygienic bathroom and shower area.
Homeless shelters with services are best executed with a Sprung Structure, an energy efficient clear span tension membrane structure. Sprung incorporates energy- efficient components, such as insulation, high-performance windows, and energy-efficient lighting, which can help reduce the building’s overall energy consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Sprung Structures are exceptionally airtight, minimizing heat or cooling loss. They utilize formaldehyde- free fiberglass insulation to insulate their structures, adding foil backing to increase efficiency and assist in the containment of radiant energy. Sprung also incorporates skylights and windows to take advantage of natural light and reduce power consumption.
The shape of the Sprung Structure with the tall interior ceilings enable a more dense floor plan without feeling claustrophobic, fitting more residents relative to other construction types like modular trailers. With the tall ceilings also comes natural light which offers a bright voluminous living space, becoming a more dignified and humanistic facility.
Sprung Shelter Safety and Operations & Maintenance
Sprung Shelters provide a commercial or light industrial level of durability & require very low maintenance for the building enclosure. Dormitories and day rooms in Sprung Shelters generally use 1-2 high efficiency package heat pump mechanical units which are low maintenance and offer 10-15 year manufacturer warranties. Fabric buildings include standard a continuous daylight panel at the roof ridge which provides ample natural light which creates and airy, welcoming space that feel significantly larger than it actually is.
The use of light sensors and dimmable fixtures further reduce energy use when there is sufficient daylight. The Sprung Shelter option offers a regulated open space, climate controls and thus disease prevention is managed at a staff level, versus an individual (resident) level, adding to the positive health impacts of the facility.
Congregate dormitories with centralized & shared Navigation Center day rooms and dining facilities are highly staff-efficient because staff and clients are regularly interacting. This results in increased safety for staff and clients by reducing the response time for emergency situations through visual monitoring and a limited number of building entry points. Navigation Centers with Dormitory buildings also provide more convenient and safe access to restrooms and showers during day and nighttime hours without ever having to leave the facility, meaning there is not outdoor exposure to use a restroom in a Sprung Shelter. Direct access to staff and security offices is also easily accommodated in a shared Navigation Center building.
Men, women and disabled clients can be housed in separate buildings in a congregate dormitory setting and sub-groups such as couples, transgender individuals can be further segregated using interior privacy partitions. Access to restrooms and common spaces for individuals with disabilities is also more convenient in a congregate living building.
Security
Security must be 24/7 due to the setup and ongoing monitoring of all housed clients along with the case managers. Staffing of security must run in shifts of 8 hours so that security will be conscious and alert with any areas of concern and or alarming matters or even as simple as check-ins and or follow-up to client questions for safety. Law enforcement must have a direct line of communication with security at all times for the true safety of all clients housed.
Client Health, Safety and Hygiene
Sanitation should be a top priority within the design and the layout of the whole struc- ture and should be cleaned on a daily basis. The goal for clients is to come off the streets and although it is an enclosed Sprung shelter, it’s not meant to be a shelter for the long term, but a more effective and safer haven for us all. Staff will be able to help clients and protect them from outside elements, such as: weather, crime, and violence.
Staffing and Operations
Centralizing operations under one roof can lead to a number of benefits for both clients and service providers. Day to day operations are streamlined and efficiency is improved resulting in better outcomes and less stress. The intake process occurs indoors with easy access to restrooms, lounges and most importantly, respite from the outside elements. The layout should always be designed with the ultimate goal of no blind spots or block-off areas, where staff and clients would be concerned about being in a no-exit zone.
Operations are meant to help clients sunset away from pallets into more permanent supporting housing and a Sprung Shelter is a more appropriate starting point given the weather elements in Bremerton.
Sprung Shelter Site Efficiency and Flexibility
Congregate dormitory buildings are the most efficient way to maximize the number of dwelling units/beds on a given site. A typical site with dormitory only sleeping can provides approximately 400 beds per acre of land and can be designed to fit virtually any site size or shape and a 100- bed dormitory can be placed on a site that is less than half an acre. The modular design of tension fabric buildings also allow for easy expansion in the future to provide additional beds, staff offices or day use and dining spaces.
The column free design means that the interior build out and environments can change over time, to evolve with the demographic of the population, or to change its use completely to transition into a community center. The modular nature of the components used allow for easy expansion. The aluminum substructure of a Sprung Shelter allows an all bolt assembly which enables the structure to be relocatable, at the end of the Sprung Shelter life the structure could be disassembled and relocated to another city location to serve a new purpose.
Neighborhood Impact
When designed properly, a shared, congregate living facility can help create a sense of shared purpose & belonging and in general, larger buildings feel more traditional than individual sleeping units. Sprung Shelters are flexible in design to allow traditional architectural components to be integrated like glass entry doors, storefront glazing, and fun curves, alcoves, and entry ways. The Sprung Shelter is code compliant and satisfies local zoning and building codes.
Stigma Around Crime
Concerns about crime near shelters are understandable, but Sprung shelters can actually bring positive change. While they may initially face opposition, Navigation Centers with ongoing operations often see a decrease in loitering and surrounding encampments. This is because they introduce much-needed oversight that wasn’t there before, both from the center itself and from law enforcement. This draws unsheltered individuals towards resources and support, while also making it easier for police to distinguish between genuine criminal activity and issues related to homelessness. Yes, there’s a stigma around shelters, but the reality is, they can lead to a safer environment for everyone.
Relevant Research
A three-year study on the effect of housing navigation centers on recidivism found that 70% of justice-involved individuals who received housing at the HNC exited to permanent housing, with a recidivism rate of 9.6% compared to the national average of 68%. Navigating Homelessness: The Effect Of Housing Navigation Centers On Recidivism, Jun 12, 2023. https://fas.org/publication/navigating-homelessness-the- effect-of-housing-navigation-centers-on-recidivism/
3/4 Navigation Centers experienced a decrease in crime rates in San Francisco: Di- vision Circle by 17%, Bayshore by 4%, and Bryant Street by 11%. https://sf.curbed. com/2019/11/21/20976211/navigation-centers-san-francisco-crime-rates-sf
Homeless shelters are often better for neighborhoods than tent encampments and can lead to a decrease in crime. https://dignitymoves.org/dispelling-the-myth-home- less-shelters-and-crime-rates/
Temporary homeless shelters are designed to replace tent encampments and provide a safer, more controlled environment.
Studies have shown that the opening of homeless shelters does not result in an increase in crime rates. In some cases, crime rates have actually decreased after the establishment of homeless shelters, as they provide stability and reduce the need for individuals to resort to criminal activities. https://www.kqed.org/news/11942734/emergency-calls-complaints-are-down-near-san-joses-temporary-housing-sites- so-why-are-they-still-so-politically-risky
Providing shelter for homeless individuals can help address the root causes of crime and improve the safety and well-being of both the homeless population and the surrounding community. https://californialocal.com/localnews/statewide/ca/article/ show/6215-homelessness-crime-california/
A 2018 study by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in which 255 unhoused people were interviewed over a 24 month period, the most frequent charges fell into the category of “homeless status offenses.” These are offenses which result “from behaviors intrinsic to homelessness.” Those include “loitering,” “vagrancy,” and “trespassing,” all of which are largely unavoidable for people who have nowhere to go. https://californialocal.com/localnews/statewide/ca/article/ show/6215-homelessness-crime-california/
The Frisc, a San Francisco based media outlet conducted a study, analyzing crime reports from areas surrounding Navigation Centers that opened between 2015 and 2018 and operated for at least 12 months. Of the eight centers analyzed, incident rates either decreased or stayed relatively flat after the Navigation Centers opened for five of them. Rates increased around three centers. According to Mike Males, a senior research fellow at the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, the random nature of increases and decreases after opening indicates that Navigation Centers cannot be shown to increase crime.
The study considered control areas outside the 500-foot radius around each Navigation Center to compare incident rates slightly farther away. In most cases, adding control areas did not significantly change the data, with one control area showing a notable rise in incidents.
The conclusion drawn is that whether immediately close by or slightly farther away, there is no pattern of rising crime in the months following the opening of a Navigation Center. https://thefrisc.com/sfs-specialized-homeless-shelters-do-not-bring- more-crime-no-matter-what-angry-neighbors-say-d7322054a568
“Navigation Center Neighborhood Impact Study” https://www.fremontforeveryone. com/s/Navigation-Center-Neighborhood-Impacts-Final-Report.pdf
Executive Summary: The City and County of San Francisco is in the process of expanding its network of navigation centers, an updated version of a traditional homeless shelter. However, plans to open new centers are sometimes met with opposition from people who live or work nearby. Such opposition has blocked plans to open similar sites in San Francisco and impedes the city’s ability to provide homeless services. People opposed to navigation centers and shelters expressed concern that they might have a negative impact on the surrounding neighborhood, such as by increasing crime, increasing visible homelessness, or decreasing property values. This report examines whether these impacts occur in practice.
Navigation Centers Have No Effect on Neighborhood Crime: An analysis of San Francisco Police Department data indicated that navigation centers have no effect on neighborhood crime. This analysis revealed that the number of crimes occurring near navigation centers was approximately equal to the number of crimes occurring at similar locations without centers. A survey of people living and working near navigation centers also indicated that navigation center presence is unrelated to neighborhood crime. Over half of surveyed community members believed that neighborhood crime levels had stayed the same since a navigation center opened nearby, and felt just as safe in the area as they had previously.
Navigation Centers Have No Effect on Property Values: Property values were rising in all neighborhoods, regardless of navigation center presence. The Mission saw an especially large increase in property values, despite being the only neighborhood hosting multiple navigation centers. Neighbors living within one block of the navigation centers did not believe that the centers had any effect on the value of their property.
Closing: This study provides evidence that navigation centers do not have negative impacts on the neighborhoods where they are located. In some cases, housed resi- dents may even benefit from having a homeless service site nearby. This shows that the city does not need to compromise the well-being of housed residents in order to provide support for their homeless neighbors. It is my hope that information from this report will enrich dialogue with community members and policymakers interested in the neighborhood impacts of homeless service sites, and ultimately contribute to San Francisco’s efforts to reduce homelessness.
RPM Addressing statistics that say shelters “increase” crime.
An explanation why residents and older studies consider that there is an increased crime rate near shelters is a result of increased police presence around shelters alongside the criminalization of homelessness (due to using the shelters’ existence against “illegal” encampments) or anti-homeless laws. As well as the police addressing many of the residents’ complaints (fear, bigotry, etc.) about the unhoused. So, the numbers could mean that since there are more reports = more crime in the area.
A supply of shelter beds insufficient to meet the demand; this problem may be exacerbated by limited funding for emergency shelters and by community opposition to creating new or expanded shelter and bridge housing facilities or permanent supportive housing.
Out of the three, Sprung Shelter best aligns with the intent of the above provided information. It is the only option that truly offers an open, transparent, and controlled setting for the residents ensuring safety to the public of the surrounding neighborhood.
Stigma Around the High Cost of Temporary Solutions
According to the US Inter-agency Council on Homelessness report, Ending Homelessness for People in Encampments: Advancing the Dialogue 2 (2015), there is a persistent concern that costly homeless encampment operations can prevent funding from going directly to permanent housing and “distract communities from focusing on” more permanent solutions. In one particular RAND study, researchers found that receiving supportive housing reduced the costs for public services by nearly 60 percent, reiterating the point that it is more cost effective to house people experiencing homelessness. (From 2019 Andre House report) https://andrehouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Unsheltered- Perspectives.pdf
The cost of doing nothing also comes with a large price tag to local agencies and their taxpayer base. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, someone experiencing chronic homelessness costs taxpayers an average of $35,578 per year, largely as a result of frequent emergency room visits and other health-related services; arrests and associated court costs. A lack of low barrier shelter beds is a primary determinant in the inability of outreach workers to get the unhoused into shelters.
“When asked about outreach experiences with case managers, 52 out of 100 people described how they’ve never been offered a place to stay by a service provider or case manager.” (2019 Andre House Interviews)
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