Solution to Reduce The Number of Individuals that Identify as Homeless
Choose a need or want that interests you from the list below or choose one of your own – a ‘function’ – and use design thinking to offer methods and insights into what might improve that function.
Keep in mind that design thinking is applied to both objects and processes. Objects and processes are created with the intention of fulfilling a human ‘function.’ So, for example, the object of a coffee cup has a ‘function’ of quenching thirst/providing nutrition, while the process of filling in of your income tax has a ‘function’ of transferring private property to the public (government) realm.
Here is a list of functions amenable to design thinking from which to choose.
Homelessness in Canada’s major cities is increasing. Create a sustainable solution to reduce the number of individuals that identify as homeless and provide an effective shelter/housing solution.
There are many people in developed and underdeveloped countries without electricity, particularly in rural Africa. Create a sustainable and accessible approach to provide electricity to millions of people worldwide.
The lack of clean drinking water has been linked to many health problems in society. Create an approach to solve the problem of clean drinking water. Your analysis and solution can be global, regionally, or a country.
Creating housing systems that allow for different groupings of people over time reflecting changing needs such as children-grown children, divorce, communal meals, cross-generational families, physical disability, and so on. You would be wise to choose only one or a few aspects to keep your assignment focused. (as an example a friend of mine wanted to create a modular home so that the bedrooms of his children would be moved another five meters from the main house on their birthdays!)
Re-thinking government to crowd-source public policy, or to use wiki structures to create public policy. The issue of legitimacy, in terms of accountability and responsibility, is a particularly important aspect of this, as well as the actual process of creating the questions for the crowd-sourced or, as in the case of a wiki, moderating policy inputs.
They are examining design thinking applications and solutions to creating home-grown hydroponic food systems. What are the barriers to people growing their food at home (or raising fish?), and what could design thinking do to create easy systems that could have widespread acceptance and use?
Create a solution to loneliness. It has been said that one of the greatest mental health challenges in the 21st century is loneliness. Look at how design thinking might lead to methods and systems that could be used to remedy this society-wide problem. The selected approach to the chosen ‘function’ then becomes one of applying design thinking, seeking non-linear human-centric solutions to the problems of fulfilling the function. The report can include many of the factors toolboxes of design thinking. A list of approaches might include the following:
Observe/define the current situation and describe it.
Suggest trends that might lead to this function is more important in the future, which can include environmental factors affecting the function. This section is akin to the trend analysis assignment. With this section, you can use the strategies for identifying trends discussed in class.
Describe the stakeholders. This section is akin to the stakeholder assignment.
Describe who the stakeholders are.
Describe a scenario or horizon scanning where the function is being addressed.
Create your assignment as an MS Word document, and save/submit as a PDF. Use the following filename convention: HUMN450_SIAnalysis_yourlastname_yourfirstname.pdf
You are free to address the question and organize your response in any way you wish, but do try to create a systematic approach, which will require an introduction (stating the issue/thesis), a conclusion, and clearly-defined sections.
It can be illustrated with images, diagrams, or in any way that conveys the information effectively. While there is no minimum word requirement, keep in mind the assignment is worth 35% of your overall grade and should reflect a one-third effort of the entire course.
Solution to Reduce The Number of Individuals that Identify as Homeless
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Solution to Reduce The Number of Individuals that Identify as Homeless
1.0. Introduction
Canada is in a strong grip on homelessness. People facing homelessness are left with very few options and a constant sense of deprivation. Even though the government has often committed to addressing the problem, it failed to draw the attention it deserved considering its enormity and criticality. Thoughtful consideration and comparison across different options suggest that sharing an economy-based model can serve as a sustainable solution by addressing the issue at multiple levels, including psychological, cultural, and physical.
2.0. Empathizing with Target Audience
2.1. Stakeholders
This report aims for a diverse group of stakeholders. At the primary level, homeless individuals in Canada are the main stakeholders who directly suffer from the identified problem and deserve the proposed function. This sub-group of stakeholders is divided into three further groups. (i) The Indigenous population in Canada over-represents the homeless population, with 28%-30% of indigenous people found homeless (Kidd et al., 2019). (ii) On the whole, adults aged 25 years to 49 years account for 54% of the homeless population in Canada (Homeless Hub, 2022). (iii) Even though the problem is highlighted and concentrated on the younger population, senior citizens are also included in the target audience. The percentage of people above 50 years identified as homeless is much lower than that of the younger population (Homeless Hub, 2022). Still, the fragile physique and need for extra caretaking make this population an important group of stakeholders.
Besides, the report sets forth guidelines and clues for concerned government departments dealing with housing solutions. Policy-makers can also benefit from the report to mould their policy in line with the needs of the target population.
2.2. Impact
The problem affects the target population at multiple levels. At the physical level, the homeless population is highly prone to malnutrition (and subsequent health issues), diseases, and low life expectancy (Guarino, 2013). At a cultural level, homeless people suffer from social exclusion and problems stemming from stigmatization (Tsai et al., 2017). Psychologically, the homeless population is prone to feelings of loneliness, demoralization, and low self-esteem (Tsai et al., 2017). These issues emphasize the need for a sustainable solution. These issues are further illustrated through the diagram below:
Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1: Problems Facing the Homeless Population
3.0. Problem Statement
Based on the insights gleaned from the above discussion, it is evident that homeless is a critical issue since it affects the sufferer at multiple levels, and the government needs to take effective measures to solve the issue. Since 1990, Canada has critically cut its spending to provide solutions for the homeless population, including eliminating several programs (Homeless Hub, 2022). Currently, the Federal policy framework has no clear guidelines to address this issue, causing the number of homeless population to grow (Doberstein & Smith, 2018). If the issue remains unaddressed, it may grow exponentially in the coming years and become harder to overcome.
4.0. Horizon Scanning
Horizon scanning involves considering the early signs of potential threats or opportunities (Plattner et al., 2010). As for the issue at hand, the following signs are worth consideration:
4.1. Aging Population
In Canada, senior citizens recognized as homeless are provided with subsidized shelter homes. The demographics are undergoing a critical change as the aging population in Canada tends to grow exponentially over the coming years, as shown in the figure below:
Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 2: Outlook for Homelessness in Canada
(Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2018)
The figure reveals that the individuals aging above 75 years will grow by 20% in the Canadian population by 2037 as compared to 2017 levels. It shows that the government’s spending on subsidized housing for senior citizens will grow, making it harder for the government to set the funds aside for the younger homeless population upon which the problem is highly concentrated.
4.2. Aftermath of COVID 19
COVID 19 has exacerbated the issue of homelessness. Unemployment spiked during the pandemic is likely to have long-term implications for the population, increasing the inability to pay rent and afford shelter (Habib, 2022).
4.3. Growing Canadian Economy
A positive indication is the growing Canadian economy. The pandemic-induced recession has ended, and the economy has seen a considerable rise showing a growth rate of 6.5% in 2021 (Mishra, 2022). The growth means a considerable improvement in the government’s ability to level up its fiscal policy and allocate more funds to combat homelessness in the long run.
5.0. Ideation
In design thinking, ideation involves brainstorming and identifying the barriers to potential proposed solutions (Plattner et al., 2010). A common issue facing the policy-makers is the insufficiency of the funds that the government is in a position to allocate for the housing scheme. The government and policy-makers prioritize several other issues higher than homelessness and allocate the budget accordingly. Therefore, the issue is often taken for granted and continues to grow.
It is advisable not to find a solution in the government’s aid or fiscal policy instrument. Instead, a circular economy can offer an answer to this puzzle similarly to what the world has witnessed in the form of ride-sharing and accommodating sharing.
The ...