(2013) Ng, Nicole; Ambrose, Michael; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
This thesis explores the question: how can architecture reintegrate the homeless family back into the community? Shelters are stigmatized because they are often associated with crime, filth, and danger. The shelter should create an environment mutually beneficial to the homeless and the surrounding community; my project seeks to reintegrate the shelter into the city to facilitate healthier and stable lifestyles. This project delves into psychology and sociology; homelessness is a social issue affecting all groups of people. The shelter must instill a sense of stability and safety for families, as it is the first step towards rebuilding a steady life. Redesigning the shelter to serve the entire community allows new socialization patterns to be introduced that will aim to better support homeless families to expedite their transitional process out of homelessness.
