Why Casper
Casper emerged from our intimate understanding of youth homelessness in rural settings, particularly through our project in Ottumwa. Inspired by our rigorous design research, we discovered that these young individuals, despite facing profound adversities, remain nearly invisible within our societal framework. Their struggles, though profoundly real, are often hidden from public view, making assistance and recognition exceedingly difficult.
The name "Casper" was inspired by the character of Casper, the friendly ghost, symbolizing our determination to shed light on this often unseen and underserved population. We chose to approach this challenge with a spirit of hope and friendliness, much like the character in popular culture.
Let’s Frame The Challenge
At twopoint0, our commitment to ending homelessness is not just about providing immediate relief but about empowering individuals to reclaim control of their lives. Through our work on the Casper project, we’ve developed a strategic framework that prioritizes personal agency and self-sufficiency, challenging traditional approaches and driving innovation in how we address homelessness. A key insight that shaped our approach was understanding the hidden nature of homelessness, particularly in rural settings, where individuals often remain unseen and underserved.
The Challenge Evolution
When we first engaged in this project, we were asked to design a campus that connects current and new resources focused on effectively tackling homelessness in Ottumwa, a rural town in Iowa. However, as we delved deeper into the design research phase, it became apparent that the challenge needed to evolve to address the unique dynamics of rural homelessness more effectively. The challenge evolved through several key versions:
Version 1.0: The original challenge focused on building a physical campus to connect resources.
Version 1.5: The focus shifted to equipping people experiencing homelessness in Ottumwa with the resources needed to overcome their situation effectively.
Version 1.9: Our approach was further refined to help decision-makers navigate the unique implications of homelessness in Ottumwa, aiming to build a roadmap that equips the community with resources to understand, control, and decrease homelessness.
Version 2.0: This iteration marked a pivotal point. As we recognized that tackling homelessness in rural areas, particularly among youth, was one of the most challenging aspects of the issue, we reframed our approach. We asked ourselves, “If we can help solve homelessness in the hardest place, why not aim to address homelessness everywhere?” This realization shifted our focus from a local project in Ottumwa to developing a scalable solution that could be applied broadly across different contexts.
Expanding Beyond Rural Iowa
While our initial work focused on rural Iowa, particularly in Ottumwa, it was inevitable that our design research would guide us beyond this region. Homelessness, with all its complexities and varied circumstances, is a pervasive issue across the United States (and around the world), demanding a broader approach. Our research took us to various regions where homelessness is a significant challenge, such as Oahu & Honolulu - Hawaii, Seattle - Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland and San Diego - California, Las Vegas - Nevada, Phoenix - Arizona, and other areas where the issue is both deep-rooted and multifaceted.
In each of these regions, we encountered unique dynamics of homelessness, ranging from the visible encampments in urban areas to the hidden, yet equally severe, struggles of the homeless in more isolated communities. By engaging with individuals, service providers, and local governments in these areas, we expanded our understanding of how homelessness manifests differently depending on the local context. This broader perspective allowed us to refine our strategies and ensure that the solutions we developed could be adapted to meet the diverse needs of homeless populations across the country.
The Hard Times Narrative
During our research and engagement with individuals experiencing homelessness, we uncovered a powerful narrative that shapes much of the discourse around homelessness, the Hard Times Narrative. This narrative tells the story of how systemic issues such as capitalism, income inequality, and social injustice contribute to homelessness. It paints a picture where homelessness is seen as random and a consequence of external forces, rather than individual actions or choices.
The Hard Times Narrative emphasizes several key points:
- Systemic Injustice: The narrative suggests that homelessness is a form of social injustice, with higher rates among marginalized groups such as African Americans, Native Americans, and other minorities. This perspective drives the belief that society must act with unlimited compassion to rectify these systemic wrongs.
- Randomness and Lack of Responsibility: By focusing on systemic factors, the Hard Times Narrative implies that homelessness could happen to anyone, removing the concept of personal responsibility from the equation. It suggests that individuals are merely victims of circumstance, and their situation is a result of bad luck or systemic failure.
- Immediate Relief vs. Long-Term Solutions: The narrative often leads to a focus on getting people off the streets as quickly as possible, providing immediate shelter and relief. However, this approach can overlook the deeper, long-term solutions needed to truly help individuals overcome homelessness.
While the Hard Times Narrative is critical in highlighting broader systemic issues, our research and approach revealed that focusing solely on these factors may not lead to effective solutions. The narrative often centers on compassion-driven strategies, emphasizing immediate relief and temporary solutions. However, our journey has led us to realize that true, lasting change comes from empowering individuals to take control of their own lives.
Understanding Hardship Categories in Homelessness
Homelessness is rarely the result of a single cause; it typically arises from a combination of hardship categories that create a perfect storm of vulnerability. These categories include:
- Economic Misfortune: Unemployment, underemployment, and poverty are significant drivers of homelessness. When individuals or families lose their income or face financial instability, they often struggle to afford housing, which can quickly lead to homelessness.
- Lack of Affordable Housing: The shortage of affordable housing is a critical factor. In many regions, rising rents and gentrification have displaced lower-income individuals who are then unable to find affordable alternatives, pushing them into homelessness.
- Racial Discrimination: Systemic racism has long played a role in exacerbating homelessness among minority populations. Discriminatory practices in housing, employment, and law enforcement disproportionately affect African Americans, Native Americans, and other minorities, contributing to higher rates of homelessness within these groups.
- Mental Illness and Substance Abuse: Mental health disorders and substance abuse are pervasive among the homeless population. Studies have shown that around 25% of people experiencing homelessness have a serious mental illness, and nearly 45% have some form of mental health issue. Substance abuse, often intertwined with mental illness, both contributes to and is exacerbated by homelessness, creating a cycle that is difficult to break.
- Pure Bad Luck: Sometimes, homelessness can result from sheer bad luck, unexpected crises such as health emergencies, the sudden death of a family member, or accidents that disrupt life to the point where recovery becomes extremely difficult.
The interplay between these factors often creates a complex web of challenges that can trap individuals in a state of homelessness. Addressing these multiple, interrelated causes requires a holistic approach that goes beyond just providing shelter
Strategic Shifts
Our work on the Casper project led to several critical strategic shifts in how we approached the problem of homelessness. It’s important to note that these shifts are not about dismissing or replacing the valuable work that has been done previously. Instead, our goal is to bridge the gaps and focus on elements that may not have been as emphasized, thereby creating a more comprehensive approach.
- From Compassion-Driven to Empowerment-Driven Strategies: While compassion-driven strategies focus on immediate relief, we recognized that lasting change also requires empowering individuals to take control of their lives. This shift emphasizes personal agency and self-sufficiency, complementing the compassionate support with tools and mindsets needed to overcome homelessness sustainably.
- From Housing First to People First: The "Housing First" approach has been pivotal in providing immediate shelter, but it may not fully address the deeper, individualized needs of every person. Our shift to a "People First" strategy aims to bridge this gap by focusing on understanding and addressing each person’s unique circumstances and needs beyond just providing shelter.
- From Asking Why to Understanding How: Instead of solely focusing on why people become homeless, we’ve expanded our approach to include understanding how people overcome homelessness. This shift doesn’t negate the importance of understanding the causes of homelessness but rather complements it by developing strategies that support individuals on their journey towards self-sufficiency.
- From Crisis Emphasis to Integrated Empowerment Model: The traditional crisis intervention model has been essential in providing immediate support. However, our integrated empowerment model seeks to build on this by combining crisis support with long-term strategies for personal growth and self-sufficiency, ensuring that individuals have the tools to avoid returning to homelessness.
The bindl App
Casper is an ongoing journey towards ending homelessness, a project that will continue until homelessness is truly eradicated. Along this journey, one of the significant outputs has been the development of bindl, an app designed to help individuals navigate their circumstances and connect with the right services at the right time. Developed with input from over 150 co-designers, including those with lived experience, bindl is more than just a digital tool. It is a platform that empowers users by combining a stability tracker, resource map, goal setting and tracking, and community connections.
Early results from the bindl app have been very positive, particularly in how it supports both individuals experiencing homelessness and the caseworkers assisting them. Caseworkers have expressed that the app allows them to focus not only on providing immediate aid but also on guiding individuals towards long-term solutions. The app's ability to map out resources, track progress, and facilitate goal setting has empowered caseworkers to recommend tailored services that better meet individuals' needs at different stages of their journey. This approach has been instrumental in helping individuals develop the agentic mindset necessary for sustained self-sufficiency.
bindl is slated to be deployed in 30 states across the U.S. in the next year, expanding its impact and continuing to drive a shift towards empowerment-driven strategies in addressing homelessness. As we move forward with Casper, we anticipate developing more solutions that will add to the tool belt of resources, with bindl being the first of many to come.
Giving Back Control
Through our engagement with individuals experiencing homelessness, one crucial insight emerged: beyond immediate needs like shelter, people want the ability to navigate their circumstances effectively. This need for navigation is more than just finding resources; it’s about understanding how to deploy those resources in a way that aligns with their unique situations.
Many individuals experiencing homelessness desire control over their journey, control that comes from knowing where they stand in the process of recovery and what steps they need to take next. They want tools that empower them to set goals, track progress, and connect with the right support at the right time.
Navigating the circumstances of homelessness became one of the most important aspects of our strategy with Casper. It’s not just about offering help; it’s about ensuring that the help offered is accessible, relevant, and actionable for each individual. This approach shifts the focus from merely providing aid to enabling individuals to take an active role in overcoming their circumstances and building a pathway to self-sufficiency
The Role of Empowerment Partners
To scale the potential of bindl and the broader goals of Casper, we are shifting the role of traditional service providers to that of empowerment partners. This new model requires service providers to take on a more comprehensive, multi-dimensional approach that not only delivers immediate aid but also fosters long-term empowerment.
An empowerment partner is more than just a provider of services; they are an active participant in the individual’s journey towards self-sufficiency. This role involves understanding the unique needs, motivations, and circumstances of each person and tailoring support accordingly. Empowerment partners are integral in helping individuals build the agency, resilience, and skills needed to navigate their paths out of homelessness. They work collaboratively across sectors, bringing together resources, expertise, and compassion to create a network of support that extends beyond the immediate crisis.
By adopting this model, empowerment partners help bridge the gap between short-term relief and long-term solutions, ensuring that every interaction contributes to the individual’s progress along their unique pathway to stability and independence.
Next Steps
Casper is not just a project, it’s a movement towards a more sustainable and empowering approach to ending homelessness. Our journey with Casper represents a commitment to bridging gaps, empowering individuals, and driving systemic change in how homelessness is addressed. While bindl is one of the significant tools that have emerged from this journey, it is just the beginning. As we continue to develop and expand Casper, we invite anyone who shares our vision and passion for ending homelessness to join us. Whether you’re an advocate, a service provider, or simply someone who wants to make a difference, your involvement can help us build more solutions, create more impact, and move closer to a future where homelessness is truly a thing of the past. Together, we can make Casper a force for lasting change.
