Abstract

This article will present a hyper-local response to the homelessness crisis in downtown Los Angeles. The drastic need for housing and support presents an opportunity for alternative, sustainable models that are affordable, inspirational, and quick to mobilize. In this ongoing project, individuals who have experienced homelessness have formed “The Building Community” to co-envision a tiny home ecovillage of transitional supportive housing for their neighbors who are still living on the streets. The lead author is an artist and applied researcher who developed “The Building Community” (TBC) method using participatory design to build trust and connection across differences while co-creating sustainable futures. TBC incorporates a progression of creative participatory workshops and the Council method of communication—storytelling circles in which each participant listens and speaks from the heart—to co-develop practical skill sets in relationship-building, collective design, permaculture, and sustainable construction. The Flourishing Scale, an eight-part measure of psychological and social wellbeing, was used to assess participants’ sense of purpose and connection during and after the reported period, and this data was supplemented with qualitative analysis of field notes, visual documentation, secondary sources, interviews and literature. Results indicate that collaborative creative activities, ritual, consistency and commitment can help to build trust, and that a combination of measures may be necessary to capture change in flourishing in a group experiencing complex physical, mental and social challenges. In this unique and intimate pilot sample, both the facilitator and participants found hopefulness and purpose through the trusting relationships they developed.