Concept Development
Defining your target populations
Although there is no universal definition of how high housing costs have to be for them to be unaffordable, the most commonly used definition in the U.S. is that housing costs are affordable if they represent no more than 30 percent of a household’s gross income on an annual basis. This is the definition used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Given this definition, affordable housing also does not need to have any form of public support or subsidy to be deemed affordable at a given income level.
Therefore, the question you should be asking when thinking about developing affordable housing does not have to be more complicated than: Is this housing affordable to the populations we want to serve and are they in need of more affordable housing options?”
Any populations you hope the development will serve should form a component of your community engagement approach, either through direct engagement of individuals and/or organizations that represent their interests. For example, a local organization that advocates on behalf of people living with disabilities may have great insight on related housing needs. These stakeholders will provide important insight to inform your development design, location, connection to services, target rent levels, and many other aspects.
There are affordable housing models that have historically been used to create housing for community members with complex, disabling, physical and behavior health conditions. The three primary models include Permanent Supportive Housing, Housing First, or Recovery Housing.
If your organization intends to serve a population dealing with substance use disorder, mental health challenges, and post-traumatic stress disorder, be sure to include these conversations as part of your community engagement process. You will want to establish a need for this type of housing in your community and put in additional work to lessen stigma as part of the community engagement process.
What is Trauma-Informed Design?
Trauma-informed design is a new understanding that is based on trauma-informed care which is already a best-practice in services. This new concept underscores that housing should not just put a roof over people’s heads, but should create dignity, healing, and joy. This impacts the design process and prioritizes the voices of future staff and potential residents to hear what they need in housing to feel safe, and for their voice to help lead the design – ensuring the housing meets the needs and honors the identities of the residents. An overview of TID principles and a TID design process can be found at www.shopworksarc.com/tid.
Design Concept and Community Engagement
Community facilities, outdoor spaces, and accessibility are all made possible through design. Whatever funding or architecture group you might eventually work with, integrating community members in the design process is key. Stakeholders who have a sense of the priorities of a community and local artisans can often inspire creative design approaches.
Together, designers and community members can facilitate learning around the existing conditions, history, and trends of the community that might influence the built environment. Integrated early enough in the process, they may point you to neighborhoods or specific sites that could affect—or be affected by—the development process. Examples of engagement facilitated by designers might include site-specific charrettes or online design tools, as well as the interviews or engagement sessions already covered.
Design is a process that your community members should be highly involved in to ensure your design team understands your goals and is community-informed every step of the way.
When discussing the design concept with the community, consider collecting feedback on some of the following elements:
- Color scheme, patterns, styles, and designs from local artisans.
- Built environment solutions to community challenges.
- Access to healthy living, family, and brighter futures.
- Safety and ease of use.
- How would you like the building to be configured on the site and connected to the surrounding environment?
- What uses do you expect for interior spaces, how do you want those to relate to one another? Do you expect them to change over time? For example, if you are planning to have on-site services in addition to affordable housing, what types of spaces will these services require?
- Have you considered clean energy and low-water use design elements to decrease ongoing utility costs and access additional federal or public funds?
- Think about flexibility of spaces as well. What you need on the opening day of a building will be distinct from that which you need 10 years down the line. How does the space offer opportunities for a diversity of activities?
- Do you have experiences with other similar developments you have visited or lived in – what did you like or dislike about them that could inform your plan?
- Do you have an expected budget and timeline for construction?
- How much do you want your architect to prioritize less expensive materials or other design components to save on costs?
- Do you have other concerns or expectations the design should address?
- Was this designed using trauma informed care principles?
It will be helpful to understand the space and privacy requirements whenever you are developing a project that includes supportive services like care management, mental health counseling, family reunification or any other type of community space. For example, some services may require equipment storage, larger rooms for group activities, spaces with particular design features for children, or areas for private counseling. Understanding these needs can help you design spaces to accommodate them and incorporate those needs in the vision of the project.