The housing continuum addresses the full spectrum of housing options in a community, from emergency shelters to affordable rentals to homeownership. Although the continuum’s ideology is straightforward, the reality includes critical gaps that affect efforts to transition from being unhoused to stable, affordable housing. There is no singular solution to the challenges within the continuum. However, f-BLOK believes that architecture can play a role in helping address these gaps. This includes ensuring an early understanding of clients’ visions, collaborating with service providers and lived-experience engagement during the design phase to support users’ diverse needs, and supporting pre-development work.
what are the challenges in the housing continuum?
Numerous challenges cause gaps in the housing continuum, with one of the biggest being the gap between shelters and affordable housing. Shelters are designed to be a temporary stopgap – a refuge before transitioning to independent living and paying affordable rent. However, this transition is often unrealistic. Greater success is seen when folks move from shelters to more permanent spaces, such as transitional and supportive housing. These spaces help individuals on their journey to independent living by prioritizing a sense of community and supporting their specific needs, which can include mental and physical health, addictions, skill training, stable work, regaining self-identity, and aging out of care.
Unfortunately, there is a shortage of these housing options, creating bottlenecks in the system and causing folks to fall through the cracks. This is especially problematic for vulnerable folks who experience discrimination and exclusion, including Indigenous Peoples, the elderly, 2SLGBTQI+ folks, and those with disabilities. Trauma survivors and individuals facing physical or mental health challenges are also disproportionately impacted. The 2022 Winnipeg Street Census estimated that over 1,200* people experience homelessness in the city, including those living on the streets, in shelters, and transitional housing. The census also estimates that Indigenous individuals comprise a third of the unhoused population. With a growing population of Indigenous youth, those aging out of care, and an aging population, there is more pressure than ever on the demand for affordable rental accommodations with service and programming supports.
* does not included hidden homelessness
where does architecture come in?
Through a deep understanding of inclusive design, architects can support clients’ visions and user needs in projects relating to the housing continuum. By translating the needs into designs, architects can address sensitivities in the built environment that might otherwise go unnoticed. There is a higher rate of folks who experience disabilities, both physical and cognitive, or those who have lived through traumatic experiences and are more likely to have sensitivities to typical built environments. Architects can integrate solutions that address issues such as sensitivity to bright lighting, accessibility, long corridors, and loud or overstimulating spaces.
f-BLOK recently completed a Canada-wide shelter assessment involving a comprehensive accessibility evaluation focused on gender-based violence (GBV) shelters, homelessness shelters, and transitional housing. The assessment reviewed accessibility in three critical areas: how the built environment met CSA B651 standards, information and communication technology (ICT), and mental health accommodations. By developing a tailored methodology to address the distinct requirements of various shelter types, the project emphasized not just physical accessibility but the broader needs for community support, safety, and well-being. Engagement with numerous shelters, including interviews and in-person evaluations, reflected our understanding of accessibility that extends beyond physical access, ensuring the built environment accommodates the full spectrum of support services required by vulnerable populations.
Although architects should bring in-depth knowledge of accessible design, f-BLOK advocates for collaboration with lived experiences at the forefront of projects, integrating multiple perspectives into our designs early on. By incorporating these steps in our processes, we can interpret users’ needs on a case-by-case basis in the design, supporting each client’s vision regarding their pain points. When incorporating supportive resources in shelters and transitional/supportive housing, we invite feedback from service providers to help us understand where barriers exist from a lived experience perspective, including trauma-informed engagement and ‘front-line’ experiences. Currently, f-BLOK is working on a transitional housing project where service providers specifically described the nuanced behaviours of the folks they serve. This allowed us to interpret these needs through designed solutions, such as providing timers on showers due to frequency and temperature needs for their users and with lockers to avoid shaming individuals by confiscating their belongings. Additional safety precautions for staff, such as extra exit doors and strategic sightlines, were also included. By collaborating with service providers and involving multiple perspectives, we can customize our efforts to align with the specific needs of each project – designing spaces that are human-first. Other tailored design efforts may incorporate cultural influences, traditional language integration, stimulation rooms, and more.
can architecture help community housing developers with a vision?
Architecture can play a role in the early planning process of a project, assisting with pre-development exercises for converting existing buildings or land to shelters and transitional, supportive, or affordable housing. Determining what is feasible on a site, such as the reconstruction of a building, is similar to what we did for this 18-unit affordable housing apartment building, where variances were needed for updated zoning bylaws to replace the development with the same number of units. Architects can also perform building condition assessments, reporting on what is salvageable or if a space is worth investing in, with recommendations on suitability. This process enables developers to maximize the investment in existing assets or land, facilitating educated decision-making through the provision of next steps such as renovation vs. new build scenarios and the outcome of each avenue (overall costs, maintenance costs, number of possible units, etc.).
why does architecture matter in addressing housing challenges?
Architecture can support meaningful change within the housing continuum, bridging gaps through inclusive and trauma-informed design. By engaging communities, integrating lived experiences, and collaborating with service providers, architecture translates diverse needs into thoughtful solutions that ensure stability, safety, and dignity for vulnerable folks. Architecture’s role goes beyond designing buildings – it’s about fostering community, addressing systemic inequities, and advocating for respectful spaces that promote well-being, growth, and inclusivity.
Historically architecture has been perceived as something for the privileged. Architecture needs to reconsider its position in society and how it can design solutions for those with the greatest needs.
