Best practices book - Flipbook - Page 358
Building Confidence, Building Community.
OVERVIEW:
The Shelters for the homeless population come in many shapes and sizes; for the sake of simplicity we (ICC – MJC)
are breaking this list down to four categories:
1. Basic Shelter: Essentially, a facility used for sleeping with a limited stay, usually less than 12 hours. There would
need to be enough water closets, lavatories and showers for the required population. Depending on the size and
construction classification sprinklers and fire/smoke alarm systems would be required. This is a very transient
population.
2. Enhanced Shelters: These would include all aspects a Basic Shelter would have, plus they may provide meals,
medical assistance, and counseling, and other support services as needed or available. This is a very transient
population.
3. Bridge or Transitional Housing: These would include all aspects of a Basic Shelter and would have some of the
Bridge Housing components. The residents of these facilities would be for a more extended duration.
4. Sanctioned Encampments: These are the tiny home villages, some are considered dwelling units (include sleeping,
living, cooking and bathroom facilities), some of these are just sleeping units with shared common areas. The
common areas could have living, cooking and bathroom facilities.
5. Unsanctioned Encampments: These are places where the homeless population gather and claim an area on private
property, public property, such as within the ROW or in a public park.
There are many conversations happening across America regarding this topic and there is a blending of terms and
ideas. Often there is mention of affordability and lack thereof that is the cause of homelessness. We are primarily
focused on the homeless population and shelters. As seen by many real-world situations, much of this population has
an addiction (drug or alcohol), mental illness or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. There are also some very informative
articles and videos that outline the situation, the cause and possible solutions. Here is a link to a video “Seattle is Dying”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpAi70WWBlw. For the most part, we will be focusing on the shelters and some
solutions that have been established in varies cities across the United States. There are a few aspects where small
scale code modifications can impact affordability and have a positive impact on the homelessness issue. We will briefly
highlight some of those solutions.
In addition, there are many cities that have allowed Basic Shelter to occur in church facilities, gymnasiums, warehouses
and a myriad of other buildings. While it is challenging to create a temporary use in a building designed for another
reason, we have outlined the various policies with regards to these options. These creative solutions will help guide
some of the decisions that will be needed in your jurisdiction.
BEST PRACTICES | 349
Homelessness in the United States, How are Major Jurisdictions Dealing with This Issue?
www.iccsafe.org | page 3
