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Human-Centered Design
Water | Healthcare | Energy
Water Projects
Piloting Mass Care Solutions for the Unhoused:
Resilient Water Solutions Related to Intense Heat in Central Texas
Context:
In September 2023, community-based organizations Community Resilience Trust (CRT), Austin Mutual Aid (AMA), and Earth Day Austin (EDA) worked with the City of Austin (led by the Office of Resilience and in coordination with Homeless Strategy Division, Austin Water, Parks and Recreation Departments, Austin Public Libraries, and Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management) to conduct a service-oriented rapid needs assessment and system test for heat response and water distribution for the unhoused population.
The pilot program included an initial situational assessment, a test of two methods of mass water distribution, a rapid needs assessment, and interviews of key stakeholders. The results from these assessments reveal new insights into the effectiveness of Austin’s current heat response, including strengths and opportunities for improvement.
My Role: Lead Designer [CRT]
Research Goals:
Our Research Goals for this Pilot Project were threefold:
Evaluate the water needs and available resources for Austin’s unhoused neighbors through mixed methods research.
Conduct a systems test for a distributed mass care solutions.
Evaluate the effectiveness of Austin’s current "cooling center" solutions.
Research Questions:
Given that many members of the unhoused community were unable to access water during the hottest days of summer, How Might ...Internal COA Departments, City leadership, and key community partners with the intent of informing future disaster response activities effectively address the compound effect of climate change, disaster response, resilience hubs, and homelessness...?
Framework Used:
Human-Centered Design [mixed-methods]
Methodology
Design Process
Research Methods:
Mixed Methods: qualitative and quantitative approaches using survey distribution, contextual inquiries, situational assessments, interviews, field observation, process mapping & subsequent recommendations.
Tools Used:
Google Forms, Google Sheets, Google Docs; Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, & Word.
Inclusion Strategies:
Conversational Survey Questions
Meeting our unhoused neighbors where they are located
Compensation for the survey feedback
Design Process
Initial Research Outline
Preliminary Work:
As part of our Research Process, we conducted a preliminary Situational Assessment to serve as a starting point for our Design Discovery analysis, followed by Rapid Needs Assessment.
This Situational Assessment included background information related to public water access, Austin’s unhoused population, conditions from the heat wave, existing institutional and grassroots capacities, and systemic challenges.
Rapid Needs Assessment:
A qualitative survey was conducted by volunteers with experience in both canvassing and serving the unhoused population. Surveys were conducted in 16 zip codes across the Eastern Crescent [see map above].
With resources to compensate for 50 surveys, we prioritized zip codes in the area widely known as the Eastern Crescent and Central Austin, which we understand anecdotally and experientially to be locations where most of Austin’s unhoused population resides.
The Google Form survey questions were designed to be as unobtrusive as possible and were conducted in a manner resembling a casual conversation with our unhoused community members, then captured on the google form by the volunteer assessor.
Tool Used: Google Forms; SpeakPipe
Pilot Outline:
The pilot water distribution test included the mobile distribution of 250-gallon jugs of water, along with three self-serve tanks holding 125 gallons of water each. The distribution of the gallon jugs was combined with promotion of the tanks when appropriate.
Pilot Site Locations:
After initial discussion, it was agreed that one Austin Parks & Recreation Facility in South Austin, one YMCA located in Northwest Austin, and one Austin Public Library located in the Eastern Crescent be our initial pilot facilities for hosting the water monsters. Each site represented a popular community center and resilience hub located in a marginalized area in central, south and northwest Austin, and each center is well-known for serving a majority at-risk demographic group.
Stakeholder Interviews:
Interviews with staff and field interviews with members of the unhoused at each site location, respectively.
Feedback from participating partners made it clear that these additional insights were needed to understand the intricacies of the system which was helping to facilitate this pilot project.
Survey Analysis
Study Limitations
Eliminating Research Bias
Heat Wave Timing:
This pilot study, which began on September 8, 2023 and ended on October 4, 2023, was conducted in a period of time in which temperatures averaged in the mid to high 90’s (lower than the hottest period of the summer). These relatively lower temperatures after the main heat wave had occurred may have impacted the responses given by survey takers.
Survey Design:
As mentioned above, the survey was intentionally conducted in a casual manner to be as conversational and unobtrusive as possible. Age and location were estimated by volunteers, and comments were copied by volunteers into a form. Some information was left out if the survey taker did not want to answer. While some responses required a “yes” or “no,” many were open-ended and required coding to analyze. Biological sex and age were estimated by the volunteer, and participants were not asked about their gender and racial identity.
While these methods were unconventional, they served the purpose of ensuring a more relational interaction between the volunteer and the participants. In future surveys, however, a more rigorous survey would be recommended if the sample size was designed to be statistically representative.
Stakeholder Interviews:
It could be said that the limitations of each interview included bias in each experience of the individual being interviewed and the subsequent location selected and center.
Group interviews were completed in a round-table discussion format and more informal than if they were to have been conducted separately. This informality spurred greater conversations that could have been missed in a single one-on-one interview. Thus, each perspective is limited to the specific location[s] which their experiences have occurred.
Pilot Project Analysis
Evaluation
Obstacle I:
Lack of Water Access is Still Pervasive, Despite Existing Efforts for the Unhoused Community
Obstacle II:
Climate Extremes Will Exacerbate Needs in Our Most Vulnerable Communities
Obstacle III:
Federal funding is currently limited in Heat-Related Emergencies under the Stafford Act, and therefore another obstacle
Obstacle IV:
City Efforts Are Not Always Known for the Unhoused
Obstacle V:
Inter-Departmental Communication was a Challenge Upon our Organizational Thematic Analysis
Qualitative Analysis
Rapid Needs Assessment Results
The Survey Results coming from the Rapid Needs Assessment of Unhoused Individuals were overwhelming in their responses indicating that they would benefit from having a water refill station outside their nearest library of rec center. (n=54), the response was overwhelmingly positive, with a few comments pointing out the nuances of implementation.
The majority of respondents (86.3%) expressed a clear and emphatic "Yes" or variations of it, indicating strong support for the idea. Some responses went beyond a simple "Yes" to emphasize the importance and urgency of the need.
Water Site Locations
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Major Themes:
A Synthesis of Findings
There Exists a Lack of Distributed Models for Mass Care for the Unhoused Community
Many of the survey respondents indicated that having centralized water filling centers was often not the best solution for receiving water when they are not in central Austin and located in the eastern crescent zip codes.
We uncovered that by creating a larger more replicable distribution model for water filling around east and south Austin would create a better response to future heat waves.
There Exists a Disconnect Between Disaster Response Models & Sub-Population Experiences
Our observations, surveys and interviews indicate that when particular issues, such as lack of shelter or water during high temperatures, do not escalate to a city-wide crisis, they may not be met with comparable urgency or coordinated communication by all involved agencies.
Consequently, immediate challenges faced by the unhoused population, including access to water and cooling centers, may not be adequately addressed within the existing operational frameworks.
There Exists a Lack of Human-Centered Communication
Human-centered communication is communication that focuses on and addresses the lived experience of the individual within the system. In this case, a human-centered strategy would account for the alternative ways in which members of the unhoused community receive and share information, considering their technological limitations.
Human-centered strategies would provide more and better channels for much needed communication regarding threats and resources.
Likewise, Public Communication does not effectively reach the population served and Inter-agency communication is oftentimes bureaucratic, due to the System Complexities (and interconnected impacts) not being fully addressed. This includes lack of use of the alert system, lack of knowledge of resources. [elab on lacking modalities] [multimodal communication is key]
There Exists a Lack of Awareness Regarding Severity of Lived Experience
A majority of the survey respondents agreed that water is not easily accessible and that they are dependent on outdoor spigots to receive water.
Many of the survey respondents indicated that having centralized water filling centers was often not the best solution for receiving water when they are not in central Austin, and located in the eastern crescent zip codes. Creating a larger more replicable distribution model for water filling around east and south Austin would create a better response to future heat wave.
The existing centralized approach to the distribution of water resources may reflect a lack of awareness of the severity of experience by a population that is not well connected to city and media channels of communication.