DESIGN 581 – Post-disciplinary Design Studio (5 credits)
T/TH 11:30am – 2:20pm
First Contact: Connecting the Chronically Homeless with Vital Services
The Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) is a nonprofit organization that offers services and consultation to Seattle’s homeless population. It a nationally recognized leader in developing innovative and effective approaches to homelessness. DESC provides effective and affordable solutions to homelessness for our community’s most vulnerable men and women through a nationally recognized network of care, housing, and support. It offers emergency shelter and permanent housing placements, and operates a comprehensive daytime service center that provides vocational training, veterans outreach and hygiene facilities. DESC also offers mental health and chemical dependency treatment programs, and provides creative and holistic approaches to client care through partnerships with public agencies, health care providers, and low-income housing organizations.
For chronically homeless men and women, DESC is the front door to the most comprehensive array of services in the Seattle/King County region. Through street outreach, emergency shelters, and it’s daytime drop-in facility, DESC continuously works to connect homeless men and women with vital services that address immediate needs and bring safety and stability to their lives.
This studio explores ways that design can help make “first contact” experiences more comfortable and effective for outreach workers and clients. Working with DESC, students will examine material, informational, and organizational aspects of outreach service provisioning. Students observe current practices, and will survey emerging technical and social trends. Based on this research, students will develop proposals for new products and services that can more effectively meet the needs of Seattle’s homeless and the people who serve them.
