This is a week late, so I may have left out a few of my original thoughts. Overall, this was a great event, and I thank Kiel and the others responsible for organizing it (and thanks to Sam Davis for responding to the invitation); I've tried to fold a recap into the reflections I previously shared with Kiel. I have, no doubt, left out and/or misinterpreted many valuable points.
As I explained to Kiel, I know little of architecture and design, but I know that they're extremely important, and I know that we (as government, business, citizens, neighbors, friends—a community) have to think differently than we have in the past if we're really going to progress with initiatives like the 10 year plan to end homelessness. Doing what we've always done won't even get us what we've always had.
Sam Davis was great. He opened up with by stating that to address homelessness the community must first have facilities. What goes into a facility? "Toilets," "water," "beds"…the audience listed the obvious. We missed things like a clinic, with a separate entrance for those living at the facility, and those walking in the front door. We missed a bank. We missed a foyer.
Sam showed what other communities have done—how they've met the basic needs of residents, provided steps for transition, and upheld not only dignity and respect, but the relationships that we all require. Perhaps the most significant point he argued was that facilities can't be marginalized to the outskirts; they have to be integrated into the community.
Towards the end of the lecture, I stepped out to take a phone call and got cornered by ABC 30, asking for my perspective as an "average joe;" I had indicated that I saw the post on MindHub and came just out of interest for this part of our community. As I tried to explain to the camera, I think that great things have been and are being done in Fresno, but I'm just not sure anyone's ever stopped to assess design; this was emphasized by the list of planning elements that the audience missed when identifying what goes in to a facility. And I think the presentation highlighted why we should spend time, energy, and money to re-think our approach (I can't imagine the impact a well-lit entryway could have on some of our facilities here).
Overall, I thought the lecture was quite interesting, and provided a glimpse into what could be done here. The only disappointment I found was that the room wasn't full…Fresnans can be a bit apathetic at times. I was glad, however, to see two news stations there.
The take-away for me personally was the emphasis on fostering "social networks" and integration into the larger community—not marginalizing the homeless to the sidelines of an abandoned downtown (my words, not his).