Remember the Three Ps of Housing

Architect and engineer Charles F. Bloszies says housing should offer the three Ps: privacy, (room for) possessions, and (a place for) pets. His firm kept these criteria in mind when working on the Embarcadero Navigation Center in San Francisco, as well as other facilities designed for congregate living in Northern California. They found that locating essential services nearby also increased the effectiveness of this housing model, making it easier for the residents to get their lives back on track.

In partnership with LifeMoves, they have built several campuses featuring modules with individual sleeping units giving each resident their own tiny room with a locking door. They always include storage for possessions, common space areas, and a dog run, and are constructed around buildings that provide medical care, meals, case management, and other services to encourage individuals to get necessary treatment, find employment, and get into permanent housing. Since these modules get built in a factory and then placed on the site, they don’t have the same delays as traditional construction. For additional flexibility, the 10’ x 40’ units can house several sleeping units, or be set up with bathroom facilities or storage space, and configured in multiple ways to fit the available space.

The 300+ organizations in Citygate Network membership seek to move people in desperate situations and destitute conditions (i.e., hungry, homeless, abused, and addicted) from human suffering to human flourishing through the process of gospel-powered life transformation. If you or someone you love is in need of Christ-centered compassion and care, please visit our member locator page today to find a mission near you.