Homelessness

1 Audio & Visual Design Designing Holistic Sensory Experiences within Environments A thesis submitted to the School of Visual Communication Design, College of Communication and Information of Kent State University in partial fulfllment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts by Terran Washington May 2020 Thesis written by Terran Washington B.F.A., Kent State University, 2012 M.F.A., Kent State University, 2020 Approved by Jessica Barness, M.F.A., Advisor, Assistant Professor, School of Visual Communication Design Daniel Alenquer, M.F.A., Interim Director and Associate Professor, School of Visual Communication Design Amy Reynolds, P.h.D., Dean, College of Communication and Information 3 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ..............................................................................iv List of Figures .......................................................................................v Abstract ................................................................................................1 Introduction ...........................................................................................2 Why Are Students Homeless ................................................................3 Primary Research: Auto-ethnography ..................................................6 Why I was homeless ......................................................................7 Duration of my homelessness .......................................................10 Art Building Grad studio/ Second foor Art history grad studio ....11 Campus Library ............................................................................17 Tacobell .........................................................................................20 Design Studio ................................................................................22 Mercury Grand Marquis: My mobile home ..................................25 Laundromat .................................................................................29 Park Bench ..................................................................................31 Sleeping on friends’ couches ......................................................33 Hygiene ........................................................................................37 Day-to-Day Mental Health ...........................................................39 Social life .....................................................................................42 Teaching .........................................................................................43 Pride: Why I didn’t ask for help ......................................................43 Auto-ethnography: Refection ...............................................................46 Visual refection .....................................................................................47 How can universities help .....................................................................49 Conclusion .............................................................................................52 Appendice .............................................................................................53 References ............................................................................................55 1 Abstract This thesis research will investigate the ways university administration can better prepare their campuses for the ever-growing number of homeless college students. The goal is to define design-driven frameworks that will assist universities in their decision making. Auto-ethnography, a form of qualitative research, will be used to illustrate the day-today life of a homeless student at a rural university. This investigation will be used to gain insights into the needs and struggles homeless students experience while on their journey. Interviews with provincial university administration gain insight into how they are currently helping this population. A comparative analysis was administered to investigate the difference in the university experience of homeless students versus non-homeless students. National shelter initiatives were examined in hopes of gaining a full understanding of current national frameworks. 2 Introduction As the number of homeless students ramped up in the course of the second half th of the 20 century, homelessness emerged as an unignorable aspect of life in the United States. Mainly, homelessness is considered as a consequence of poor work ethic, personal choices, or as a response to or a symptom of more intricate social problems. Notably, approximately 1.2 million enrolled in public school are homeless (National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, 2014). According to the US Department of Education (2015), about 2% to 3% of the 50 million th students enrolled in kindergarten through 12 grade schools in the US are homeless. Nevertheless, other approximations reveal that as many as 2 million students in the United States struggle with homelessness every year, and this is a clear indication that these estimates may be much higher (Ammerman et al. 2004). The rates of homelessness among students have risen to 72% from the onset of the economic recession of 2008 (National Center for Homeless Education, 2014). And, these rates have gone up by about 10% since the start of the 2011/2012 school year. These trends indicate, homelessness among students is an unprecedented, growing, and pervasive problem in America. Ammerman et al., (2004), documented that even though homeless students encounter countless barriers to success, they get far fewer societal and economic support compared to the homeless adults. Further, in comparison to the peers who are non-homeless, students who are homeless are much more likely to post poor academic performance and receive education support (Murphy and Tobin, 2011). Buckner, Bassuk, and Weinreb (2001), asserted that less than 25% of the homeless students graduate from high school, close to 42% are at risk of failing a class, and 45% repeat a grade or two. What’s more, a considerable percentage of the students who are homeless miss approximately three weeks of school every year, and this to a large extent fragments their education process (Pavlakis, A. E. (2018). These estimates 3 are without a doubt alarming and something needs to be done. It is important to note that student homelessness is not a standardized experience. In the context of a student, some may come from a family that has just lost their home as a result of reduced or lack of income, unexpected tragedy, or recent trauma. These families may be living with other people on a temporary basis, in shelters or motels, on the streets, or even out of their cars. Still, others may simply be “unaccompanied”, on their own without an iota of hope for any support from an adult. This paper explores student homelessness in the United States unravelling what student homelessness entails, who constitute this group, the reasons for their homelessness and whether universities across the country have policies in place to help these students. 4 Why Are Students Homeless First, the common reason for students’ homeless is as a result of poverty (Wong et al., 2009). Families laden in poverty are vulnerable to become homeless. According to Miller, (2009), their lower than enough stores of economic capital are followed by limited networks of resourceful relations or social capital, to assist them cope with tough economic times. According to Burt (2001), homelessness has been worsened by lack of adequate affordable housing. Besides, as explained by Kuhn and Culhane (1998), disadvantaged families struggle with disproportionately high rates of trauma, accidents, and health-related issues, which exacerbates the chances of forced residential mobility. As affordable housing options and jobs have declined in the past couple of years, more and more personal susceptibilities have become more apparent, leading to the highest family— and eventually— student homelessness in history. What’s more, similarly to children in homeless families, unaccompanied homeless students are often homeless for reasons that are over and beyond their control. Factors such as conflict within the family, sexual, emotional, and physical harassment mainly leave the youths with only one option of leaving their home and living on their own (Duffield, 2001). Even though most unaccompanied students have it rough in schools, the majority have been found to be independent, intelligent, and highly adaptive in the society in the face of highly harsh conditions (Reed-Victor & Stronge, 2002). Primarily, youths the gay, lesbian, or bisexual seem to be excessively vulnerable to homelessness. Research drawn from homelessness revealed that LGBTQ students were overrepresented in most studies (National Alliance to End Homelessness 2020). Additionally, LGBTQ students also experience an augmented vulnerability of facing victimization and discrimination in not only community setting but also schools (Bontempo, and d’Augelli, 2002). 5 Specific social variables can also expose students at increased risk for homelessness. The students at risk are those who face problems at home, are socioeconomically deprived, and are placed in foster care (Shelton, Taylor, Bonner, & van den Bree, 2009). In a specific research of 692 homeless youths aged 12–20 years, greater than 70% of the participants indicated conflict with parents as a crucial reason for leaving home (Rosenthal, Mallett, & Myers, 2006).

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