Honors 350 Course Portfolio

HONORS 350 HONORS PROGRAM SENIOR SEMINAR Spring Quarter, 2019 Wicked Problems and Multidisciplinary Strategic Thinking A Deans Collaborative Initiative Instructor of Record:

-Nancy Grossman, Associate Director of The Honors Program

Course Instructors:

-Ronald Caltabiano, Dean of the School of Music -John Culbert, Dean of The Theatre School -Alexandra Murphy, Acting Dean of the College of Communication -Misty Johanson, Dean of the Driehaus College of Business -Dorothy Kozlowski, Interim Dean of the College of Science and Health -David Miller, Dean of the College of Computing and Digital Media -Don Opitz, Interim Dean of the School of New Learning -Jennifer L. Rosato Perea, Dean of the College of Law -Guillermo Vasquez de Velasco, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences -Paul Zionts, Dean of the College of Education

Preface At a recent gathering of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities in Washington DC, considerable attention was placed on the skillset that today’s employers are seeking. In that context, the participants were provided documentation on a recent survey by Hart Research Associates, entitled: Fulfilling the American Dream: Liberal Education and the Future of Work, sponsored by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. In that study, employer priorities on select college learning outcomes ranked oral communication, teamwork skills with diverse groups, written communication, critical thinking and analytic reasoning, and complex problem-solving as the top five intellectual and practical skills that our graduates should have.

Intersecting with these findings, at about this time last year, several DePaul deans advocated for the promotion of higher levels of multidisciplinary collaboration and the need for bridging between our traditional academic silos. As a result of that conversation, the deans challenged themselves to put into practice their advocacy and team-teach a course that would illustrate our institutional collaborative spirit, our commitment to address the intellectual and practical skills that our students need, and to celebrate a culture of Vincentian leadership by doing what no one has done before. Provost Marten denBoer, and later Acting Provost Salma Ghanem, enthusiastically supported this endeavor.

In order to fully embrace the potential of our commitment not only to collaborate but to teach how to collaborate, a project-based learning (PBL) team-teaching initiative was proposed and was then implemented during the spring quarter as a senior seminar in our Honors Program, entitled: HON 350 Wicked Problems and Multidisciplinary Strategic Thinking: The Homelessness Issue.

Course Description (excerpt from the class syllabus).

Promoting multidisciplinary strategic thinking, including critical thinking, systems thinking, and design thinking, is a pressing 21st century need. In addressing that challenge this course seeks to promote the awareness, understanding, and practice of multidisciplinary strategic thinking in addressing wicked problems. A wicked problem is a problem whose multidisciplinary complexity makes it not only systemic but also fluid. Because of complex interdependencies, the effort to solve one aspect of the problem, from a particular disciplinary perspective, may reveal or even create other problems. A few examples of wicked problems are poverty (including

hunger, homelessness, healthcare inequity, and lack of access to education), climate change, waste management, and violence. Academia has long recognized the need for practicing and teaching multidisciplinary collaboration, but the traditional structure of academic disciplinary silos has frequently challenged our progress in making that goal attainable. This course is a tangible effort in addressing that challenge by bringing all of our academic deans together to address, in interaction with our students, a selected wicked problem (The Project) from their individual perspectives in pursuit of multidisciplinary strategic solutions.

Only hours after registration opened, the class reached full capacity, at 20 students representing six different colleges and 18 different majors (Graphic Design, Film & TV, Music Composition/Jazz Studies, Political Science, Peace/Justice/Conflict Studies, Arabic Studies, Italian, Environmental Science, Marketing, Organizational Communication, International Studies, Biological Sciences, Management, Computer Science, Animation, Health Sciences, Psychology, and Accountancy). Dr. Salma Ghanem, Acting Provost and Dean of the College of Communication, was an active member of this collaboration and joined the course instructors at our opening and closing sessions.

The Project In support of a Project-Based Learning (PBL) format, our Institute of Global Homelessness (IGH) provided the project (the wicked problem) that is nested within the course. The Director of IGH, Lydia Stazen, has strongly supported this initiative, and Molly Seeley, IGH Program Manager, delivered an opening lecture on the subject and challenged the students with the development of a desirable, feasible, and viable proposal on how DePaul may impact the homelessness problem in Chicago. IGH also delivered five case studies from around the world that provide each student group (five groups of four students each) with different frameworks of reference as they moved from awareness to understanding, and from understanding into proposals for action.

Also, a DePaul homeless student served by our DAX Program, a project of DePaul USA, which is a unit of DePaul International, interacted with his fellow students and shared his experience. Abraham Morris, Director of the DAX Program, consulted with the students as they moved from their research on global case studies into their engagement with Chicago’s homelessness problem.

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INDEX OF GROUP PROJECTS A Proposal to Solve Chicago’s Wicked Problem: Youth Homelessness Ivan Karparov, Emily Cohen, Danielle Palomino, and Niloo El-Maissi

Homelessness: A Global Issue Here At Home Casey Dahl, Sierra Jackson, David Prunty, and Zoe Tingas

Homelessness in Chicago: Economic and Community-Based Recommendations Selena Miller, Allison Moser, María Ximena Valenzuela, and Adrian Zawada

Addressing Homelessness Among Students in Chicago: Chicago Students First Zoe Carpentier, Sophia Elbchiri, Jessica Harris, and Kayla Kascht

#HomelessNotLess: Combating Homelessness by Ending the Stigma and Revitalizing Housing First Izabela Kantor, Julia Keras, Victoria Perez, and Kayla Quebral

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A Proposal to Solve Chicago’s Wicked Problem: Youth Homelessness Ivan Karparov, Emily Cohen, Danielle Palomino, and Niloo El-Maissi Abstract Even before experiencing homelessness, youth often already have a number of troubles relating to emotional and physical development. They should not also have to experience the possibility of increasing current health and mental health issues, which is why the proposed solution stresses the importance of Housing First. After one secures housing, they are able to see amplified opportunities toward employment and education, in addition to an improvement in all aspects of life.

Background Information Experiencing homelessness is unfortunately a very prevalent issue faced by many individuals throughout the city of Chicago. While there are numerous solutions put in place to end this wicked problem, a large number of individuals still do not have access to safe and stable housing. Currently, there are over 1,200 youth, ranging from ages eighteen to twenty-four years old, experiencing homelessness in Chicago (“The Case for Ending Homelessness”).

Proposed Solution The Housing First approach is a concept that works to prioritize providing permanent housing to people living without that fundamental human need. By ending an individual's homelessness, they will gain the ability to pursue a variety of personal goals to enhance the quality of their life. This approach serves as the foundation of the belief that it is essential for individuals to have easy access to basic necessities, such as food and housing, before addressing other less critical issues such as obtaining a job or attending to problems of substance abuse (“Housing First”). In addition, the Housing First model is based on the theory of individual liberty. In regards to housing selection and the supportive service programs, exercising an individual’s choice often allows them to be more successful in remaining housed and working on personal and professional development.

For the program to be successful, it is vital that there be a diversity of staff available at all times.

If the individuals housed in these publicly funded buildings desire additional support to work to develop and strengthen specific aspects of their life, it is crucial that they have consistent access to assistance that

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is geared toward their certain desires. The nature of these services must be based on the foundation of consent, freedom, and respect.

The Housing First model can be implemented in a variety of ways. With this said, the most effective approach to reduce youth homelessness in the city of Chicago is through scattered-site housing.

Scattered-site housing refers to a form of public housing that is composed of affordable, low-density units that spread throughout diverse, middle-class neighborhoods.

When tackling the wicked problem of youth homelessness, it is a necessity that the matter of healthcare be taken into account. Statistics have shown that the youth homeless population struggles much more with health issues than the general youth population.

As a result, healthcare issues should be immediately addressed after securing housing for homeless individuals. Since the Housing First model in the proposed solution will not require individuals to be substance free when they arrive, it is anticipated that a great number of those who seek shelter will be experiencing at least one of these issues: substance abuse, mental illness, or physical health conditions.

With the implementation of the Housing First model, individuals can then focus on other aspects of their lives, such as personal and professional goals, without the additional financial and emotional stress of housing. A major personal goal held by all people is the ability to attain a higher education, and the homeless youth population is no different. Homeless youth face a multitude of struggles when looking to further their education and many do not receive guidance or support, making the application process even more difficult and confusing. Therefore, creating a program to assist homeless youth in the process of applying to colleges, as well as providing a support system and resources for these individuals, is absolutely necessary.

It is also important to identify that the college experience is not for everyone, so some may wish to further their education in other areas. By considering the option of trade or vocational schools, this program will offer mentorship programs to assist homeless youth with finding an appropriate institution that matches their interests and skill set.

It is also important to focus on assisting individuals beyond their academic endeavors by creating a program for career readiness hosted at various sites throughout the city to be more accessible to a multitude of individuals.

Conclusion In conclusion, the proposed solution takes into account all of what is necessary to help homeless youth succeed and stay off of the streets. The focus on stable, scattered-site housing is the most appropriate method to solving the issue of homelessness pertaining to youth with a number of positive results. Health and wellness as an immediate point of focus after securing stable housing for homeless youth with a holistic approach to ensure that illness and substance abuse is no longer an issue. Lastly, providing professional and personal development resources after Housing First and stable healthcare allows the homeless youth to focus on other aspects with an elimination of added financial and emotional stress.

The proposed three step solution is the best option for eradicating homelessness for youth in the city of Chicago. Focusing solely on what makes the homeless youth unique in comparison to other age groups guarantees that their struggles are properly addressed. The homeless journey pertaining to youth has been taken into account from start to finish in this program, thus ensuring that they will stay off of the street and return to a stable lifestyle.

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Homelessness: A Global Issue Here At Home Casey Dahl, Sierra Jackson, David Prunty, and Zoe Tingas Abstract Homelessness has been a pervasive element of Chicago and proven to be resistant to systemic policy. The following proposal addresses this problem using a housing first model focused on permanent supportive housing for street homeless individuals. Ultimately, this proposal seeks to drop street homelessness by 20% in five years.

Background The Housing First model proved to be the most functional philosophical stance on housing across case studies. Housing First, realized through diverse housing options, results in a higher rate of success of housing the homeless in addition to generating tax revenue, local income, and jobs. Changing the stance towards homelessness from that of charity to that of civil rights proved to be an effective measure in dealing with the issue.

Currently, Chicago has $15.5 million allocated towards homelessness initiatives, which is low compared to cities facing similar rates of homelessness in the United States. Bring Chicago Home is an organization pushing for tax and policy reform towards homelessness policy. Their recommended approach would be an increase of the Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT), which would result in funds totaling $150 million for use on homelessness policy. The tax would not affect most residential or business transactions and, therefore, has received popular support in addressing the majority’s concern for the homelessness problem in Chicago.

Recent support in city council hearings with then-incumbent mayor Lori Lightfoot resulted in positive responses in progression from aldermen, suggesting a likelihood of the proposal’s passing. This funding could be used to help expand and maintain Chicago’s current homelessness support infrastructure of 7200 private and publicly funded housing units, 4574 transitional housing beds, and 1701 emergency shelter beds. As it stands, this number of beds does not accommodate for the 16,000 street homeless individuals. Further steps need to be taken in transferring focus from shelter accommodations to Housing First-based permanent supportive housing in order to prevent cyclical and unproductive response to homelessness endeavors.

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Solution Our proposed solution is to identify and refurbish vacant buildings owned by the city for use as permanent supportive housing funded by both the RETT and reallocated funds currently used for counterproductive measures. This approach negotiates between desirability, feasibility, and viability, the main principles of effective design thinking (also referred to as the innovation sweet spot), in order to achieve the necessary qualifications for sustainable change.

The estimated cost of this plan can be estimated at about $88.9 million dollars. Compared to Chicago’s existing $15.5 million dollar budget, the plan is considerably more expensive. However, housing 16,000 people requires extreme measures. After taking a look at the amount the city is currently spending in counterproductive street sweepings, examining some other areas of city-based income, and exploring some resources the city already has at its disposal, we believe this plan to be viable.

After consulting several online renovation estimators we were able to determine an average cost to gut-renovate a three-flat building in the city of Chicago. That cost comes out to be approximately $50,000. With each apartment having an average of three bedrooms and one bathroom, we determined that about 9 individuals could be housed in each three-flat building.

With an estimated 16,000 people experiencing street-homelessness in Chicago, there would need to be about 1,778 buildings converted to accommodate each individual. When we multiplied the number of buildings needed by the cost of a gut renovation, we were able to calculate an estimated overall cost of $88.9 million.

While an approach that will be well-received is highly important, another factor is whether the solution is actually possible to execute. We think that this approach to ending homelessness in Chicago is feasible because it is a win-win-win situation. The first win is that it helps people get off the streets and be living in real shelters, the second win is that there will be fewer abandoned buildings throughout the city, and the third win is that less taxpayer money will be spent.

According to city data, there are over 760 abandoned buildings that were reported from early 2018 to present. It is feasible for the city to allow us to use these buildings as shelters because it is far better to use properties rather than to leave them unoccupied. Issues that arise from unoccupied buildings include “reduction in property value of surrounding homes, increased crime, increased probability of fire, and reduced tax base for local governments” (Klein). When buildings are unoccupied, the resulting problem affects the entire neighborhood and when people are living in these buildings, everyone benefits. For the city, there is less need to have the police or fire department respond to incidents that could occur at abandoned buildings and neighbors are able to keep up the property values of the surrounding buildings. Also, the buildings already exist, the only cost that would incur would be to bring the building up to code, which is significantly cheaper than building new shelters.

The biggest benefit of placing people who are experiencing homelessness into suitable housing in the city’s unoccupied buildings would be that less money would need to be collected from taxpayers, ultimately making the proposal popular amongst Chicagoans.

Conclusion The city of Chicago has a long-standing history of street homelessness. Our solution is simple: take those who are experiencing street homelessness and place them into housing in a previouslyabandoned building by utilizing the housing first model. We believe that in doing this, we will achieve our goal of lowering street homelessness in Chicago by 20% in 5 years.

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Homelessness in Chicago: Economic and Community-Based Recommendations Selena Miller, Allison Moser, MarĂ­a Ximena Valenzuela, and Adrian Zawada Abstract Undoubtedly, homelessness provides yet another social, financial, and ethical challenge for humanity to face. In the city of Chicago, the wicked problem of homelessness impacts over 80,000 individuals, and a large number of them are people of color. Most efforts to tackle the issue have been implemented through wide-scale, city-based practices and perspectives. While this approach attempts to maximize city outreach, the ability to take more intimate, community perspectives is seriously diminished.

This proposal recommends a distinct approach to system planning that divides the city based on districts to amplify community issues. When coupled with economic recommendations, we believe our approach possesses the feasible, viable, and desirable characteristics to be successfully considered.

It is important to acknowledge the social, economic, and structural barriers and systems that inhibit people of color from attaining permanent, affordable housing in Chicago. One factor behind this involves the job sector, particularly low wages and unemployment rates. It is important to target homelessness through an ecological perspective that prioritizes sustainable, future-oriented strategies to addressing homelessness in Chicago.

Proposed Solution This proposal aims to provide Chicago-based stakeholders with sustainable economic and community-focused strategy recommendations to address the wicked problem of homelessness.

Due to the economic prowess of Chicago, we believe that the city can leverage its core principles in a way to help reduce the stress on the issue of homelessness, using large companies in order to help mitigate the homelessness issue. One change that we collectively propose is pursuing an incentive on corporations to help fund necessary aid for the homeless, but more importantly for those on the brink of financial insecurity and actual homelessness. In order for such an incentive to be accepted, we believe that the tax structure of the city should be reworked, which we understand would take years to implement.

The entrepreneur’s economic mindset hinders the capabilities for the lower class to improve their living situations. Raising the minimum wage would benefit people, as they could afford the renter wage and no longer worry about losing their homes. However, business owners remind others that higher wages would equal less work hours and employees. The bill that Pritzker signed tries to compensate this adjustment by creating a tax credit for small businesses to claim for 25% of the cost in 2020. The tax credit

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would scale back annually and, in turn, help phase out any financial issues businesses would face. Raising Chicago’s minimum wage would overall be a financial process for both employee and employer, but this move will help people find stability and improve their daily lives.

In addition to incorporating city-wide stakeholders on the issue of homelessness, we recommend an additional subdivided approach to system planning based on Chicago districts. We propose the development of nine Chicago homelessness district ‘task forces’ or ‘chapters’ as a means to adapt a more community-based approach to the issue of homelessness. Such task forces would comprise of community members, community leaders, people experiencing homelessness, and Chicago youth.

Given the densely populated nature of the city, tackling such a prominent wicked problem through a large-scale city approach may be detrimental to optimal outreach in all community areas. The creation of Chicago homelessness district task forces would allow for a more thorough evaluation of Chicago communities with respect to homelessness.

The proposed district task forces would meet with city-wide stakeholders to discuss strategies, needs, and data, all while maintaining community outreach as the central focus. Additionally, such meetings can result in the prioritization of specific goals, while creating a communal space for sharing ideas and proposals. City-wide stakeholders may propose more tailored approaches that fall in line with the most urgent city needs within the issue of homelessness. As for funding, these district task forces can work together to create a more comprehensive illustration of Chicago homelessness as a way to further entice donors and grant foundations to allocate their funding towards the issue. What’s more, district task forces may also take funding matters into their own hands and create unique fundraising initiatives within their community as a means for civic engagement. This would boost Chicago’s overall funding allocated to homelessness.

Indeed, the creation of such task forces should also incorporate ongoing implementation of Housing First programs. Rather than encourage a template-based approach to such program implementation, the community-based nature of these task forces would allow for people to tailor the program to fit the community members’ knowledge of community assets, housing affairs, and economic overviews. Our first recommendation is to modify the current level of youth involvement in Chicago’s homelessness issue so as to optimize civic engagement and solution strategies. In alignment with the development of district task forces, youth-focused chapters should be created as extensions of these district-wide task groups so as to encourage the inclusion of youth voices at the table. These changes would amplify the voices of Chicago youth as a means to empowerment and social change.

Lastly, when it comes to taking preventive actions in the Chicago Public School system, we recommend helping the homeless youth by increasing support from Students in Temporary Living Situation (STLS) program. Through them, more training could be provided for school-based liaisons so that students don’t result to dropping out. Furthermore, specialized resources should be given to students in a housing crisis.

Conclusion The inclusion of large and local businesses would even more so increase the amount raised specifically for solving this issue. Similarly, a steady growth in the wages that are paid out would also increase the price for a standard of living that each person is entitled to, to the extent that taxes imposed on residents do not dig too deep into the earnings that individuals can take home and spend as they wish.

Another important factor to consider in terms of minimum wage is inflation; however, the intrinsic bet of this proposal is that the value of the dollar will appreciate or at least maintain its value given the current optimistic state of our economy in recent years on the world stage. Adapting our community-based approach on system planning would highlight the specific needs and severity of issues in each Chicago district. It would also allow for gradual implementation of a more traditional system planning given the chapter-based nature of district divisions. Lastly, this approach would simultaneously empower youth to become community advocates with the youth-focused task forces.

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Addressing Homelessness Among Students in Chicago: Chicago Students First Zoe Carpentier, Sophia Elbchiri, Jessica Harris, and Kayla Kascht Abstract In our efforts to reduce homelessness and assist those affected in Chicago, we have established the Chicago Students First Coalition to help homeless students and unaccompanied youth. Housing First stands as the philosophy behind the coalition, as our main goal is to find, provide, and maintain housing for Chicago students and their families, as well as for unaccompanied youth. Keeping youth off the streets and in stable homes will increase their chances of staying in school and will reduce the likelihood that they will remain in the cycle of homelessness.

Background While ending homelessness among all groups would benefit people in Chicago, assisting homeless students and unaccompanied youth is an undeniable part of mitigating and preventing homelessness. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has reported 17,894 homeless students in the CPS system as of the 2017-18 school year, accounting for 4.8% of total student enrollment in CPS. Homeless students already have unstable home environments, and the unstable school environment and constant shuffling between schools decreases their chances of staying in school.

While homeless students may experience difficulty in attending school, education is one of the best ways for homeless individuals to find employment and eventually obtain permanent housing. Laws in place, such as the McKinney-Vento Act (MVA) and the Education for Homeless Children Act (EHCA), work to protect the rights of students experiencing homelessness.

Proposed Solution We have designed a new coalition called Chicago Students First (CSF). CSF focuses on students and youth in order to prevent young people from entering a cycle of homelessness throughout their lives, and works in conjunction with schools. The main goal of our coalition is to provide every student with a stable and appropriate home, following the Housing First model. In order to achieve this, our coalition will focus on training CPS teachers as well as our own independent staff to be able to effectively help students facing homelessness. The coalition will act as a resource that can use the pre-established support system of a school to its advantage without relying on overworked and underpaid teachers or guidance counselors to keep track of students dealing with homelessness.

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The coalition will work in conjunction with schools because of their established presence in neighborhoods and ability to provide better data on students experiencing homelessness. We want to support CPS schools to keep homeless students in school and, as a Housing First program, we will also work outside of the school environment to house students and their families. CSF will be a fully functioning organization outside of the school with employees who are trained to help students facing homelessness, who are at risk of homelessness, or who have experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE).

We plan to start a program to hire back students who we have previously worked with, partnering with local colleges to discount their tuition with an offer of employment post-graduation. This program will be modeled on pre-existing programs which offer a combination of employment and education, such as Chicago Teacher Residency which provides the opportunity to earn a master’s degree at DePaul University or Roosevelt University with tuition scholarships that greatly reduce the cost of attendance. Not only will this program allow for continued support of youths after graduation, and an opportunity for secondary education, it is also beneficial that the people serving homeless students have themselves experienced student homelessness, since they are likely to connect with them on a personal level and recognize the signs of student homelessness in those who are hesitant to self-identify.

As part of the coalition, the Students First Coordinator (SFC) position will be created where people will be trained in all aspects of the services of the coalition, as well as working in person with homeless youth and their families. As part of a pilot program, our coalition will reach out to CPS schools, specifically ones with high homeless populations, to have our trained professionals work within their schools. Working within the schools, the SFC will be someone whose sole task is to assist homeless students, as well as work directly with the coalition and assist homeless students and their families to utilize the services and receive the help they need. As part of this partnership with CPS, we will ask that the schools provide any known information they have on the homeless population of their schools, assist us to identify those who may be in need of help, and advertise the services we offer to students and their families.

Our trained professional is not meant to replace the STLS Coordinator currently at the school, but rather be an additional source of assistance. The SFC will not receive their salary through CPS, but through the coalition, so that they are not taking necessary funding away from the schools. Additionally, the SFC is meant to reduce the stigma around homelessness and educate students, as well as faculty, on the issue at hand.

If we create a coalition of organizations that support people experiencing homelessness in Chicago, and place a coordinator in Chicago Public Schools as a resource for students facing homelessness, those students will receive personal support and a guide to resources offered by the coalition, alleviate some of the negative impacts on their education caused by homelessness, and provide a designated space to be seen and heard. This will lead to more students who experience homelessness remaining in school and succeeding academically and personally.

To fund the CSF coalition and the SFC position, we find it important to ensure that we do not encroach on current CPS funding. CSF will search for funding through government grants, revenue from legalized marijuana, donors, and sponsors.

Conclusion Chicago Students First and the Students First Coordinator take a proactive approach to addressing homelessness among students in the CPS system. While the coalition and the position do not directly address all of the roots of homelessness in Chicago, they do act as a preventative measure to keep students from returning to homelessness. The placement of the SFC in schools ensures that students facing homelessness have a consistentlyavailable resource for issues they may experience such as lack of food, lack of sleep, and inadequate housing.

Beyond the coordinator position, the coalition acts as the supportive framework behind students facing homelessness. By compiling the existing resources for homelessness in Chicago, we effectively leverage community assets to create a safe, multifaceted, and accessible space for individuals to understand their options and to apply for support. Instead of trying to address all the factors that contribute to homelessness, our organization has decided to focus on youth education because of its potential to prevent future homelessness.

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#HomelessNotLess: Combating Homelessness in Chicago

by Ending the Stigma and Revitalizing Housing First Izabela Kantor, Julia Keras, Victoria Perez, and Kayla Quebral Abstract As this Honors Capstone course has taught us, homelessness is truly a “wicked problem”, or a problem whose multifaceted complexity makes it not only systemic in nature, but also ever-changing, thus making it extremely difficult to solve entirely. In this paper, we attempt to devise a more durable and sustainable plan to solve homelessness once and for all in our hometown of Chicago.

Background More people are at risk of becoming homeless in Chicago each year as housing affordability diminishes, the availability of public assistance declines, and costs associated with living a healthy life continue to surpass wages that can be earned. Homelessness is a multidisciplinary and multifaceted problem that negatively impacts an individual’s health, economic/financial stability, and overall quality of life. In addition to these hardships, people experiencing homelessness also frequently face discrimination and societal exclusion as a result of their housing status. We believe that, before anything else, the first barrier that we must overcome in order to solve homelessness entirely in Chicago is to end the widespread stigma associated with being homeless.

People’s negative conceptions, generalizations, and stereotypes about the homeless population limit their ability to fully understand the needs of the homeless. Negative conceptions result in harmful discrimination.

Proposed Solutions/Recommendations With the trending popularity of the digital landscape, many work to promote an active, fun, and consumerism-centric lifestyle via social media. However, with the ability to broadcast one’s life online comes the ability to manipulate this life and voice one’s opinion behind a curtain. In considering the way these online platforms are used to further the cycle of homelessness, we aimed to find a way in which these platforms can be used to facilitate positive discussion around the issue, educate others, give homeless individuals a chance to share their stories, and create a network throughout the city for those willing to work towards change.

Our first goal is to spark conversation on the homelessness issue and provide resources to educate those who may be seeking help, as well as those who may be seeking opportunities to give this help. Our differentiation approach includes a more humanized angle to the homelessness issue, as we plan to highlight the stories of individuals with the hashtag #HomelessNotLess. Through sharing the struggles of these individuals as well as the

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success stories as a result of resources shared, the overall goal is not to reach a specific number, but to spark conversation in a more humanitarian way, and drive home the idea that improvement starts not by avoiding the issue, but by addressing it.

This solution can be regarded as a preventive initiative to reshape public perceptions of homelessness, help society be aware of the risks of homelessness, and educate the public on how to support those already without a stable home. As we know, negative perceptions affect generation after generation. If this solution is implemented successfully to fight the stigma surrounding homelessness, the proper mindset which regards homeless individuals as humans deserving of basic rights can be ingrained in our children and grandchildren by teaching them to not only advocate for the homeless, but to also prevent homelessness from arising in the first place. Additionally, this solution can lead to increased funding collected from the general public as the diminishing stigma and the increased awareness regarding the homelessness issue will result in a fundraising approach based on empathy and equity. Through the use of social media, the goal of this campaign can create measurable success via engagement rates, which would include all likes and comments per post. Additionally, with the strategic use of a hashtag, we have the ability to monitor conversation attached to the hashtag, and also join the conversation and reply directly to our audience.

Alongside this social media movement to end the stigma surrounding homelessness, our #HomelessNotLess campaign will be active in pushing for policy change which fully advocates for the homeless population, primarily under the Housing First model. The Housing First model, as previously described, has been proven to be extremely successful when implemented correctly.

Therefore, our solution strives to partner with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH), one of the biggest non-profit organizations in Illinois, which does not accept government funding in order to preserve an independent voice and promote progressive change. In collaboration with the CCH, #HomelessNotLess will push for radical change in public policy in support of the authentic Housing First model along with holistic services that will ultimately end homelessness and properly care for the homeless individuals living in Chicago. Together with our social media campaign to end stigma, our #HomelessNotLess movement will function to educate the public on what the Housing First model is and why our people living on the streets and in unstable housing will benefit from the implementation of this model. This campaign will be known to be the prominent voice of radical change by lobbying and influencing public officials and politicians within Chicago to change policy to not only advocate for Housing First, but to also recognize that individuals experiencing homelessness are deserving of their rights to access basic necessities as much as any other individual.

Conclusion Overall, our plan to combat homelessness in Chicago is to establish a social media movement called #HomelessNotLess in order to destigmatize the issue, while also working to revitalize the Housing First model by partnering with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) and lobbying for its implementation. This plan is desirable because it would eliminate the first barrier to overcoming homelessness, which is the stigma associated with the issue, and it would implement Housing First to house the homeless. Removing the stigma is desirable because the negative stereotypes about the homeless make their loss of human rights seem acceptable, when it is not. As studies have shown, the homeless are not seen as fully human and face discrimination that is seen as legitimate because of their housing status. Housing the homeless is desirable because it is the goal of not only this course and this project, but also all of society.

Furthermore, this plan is feasible because our partnership with the CCH will provide us with the resources needed to facilitate our lobbying activities, while also giving us credibility within the vast network of community outreach organizations that are already present in Chicago. Lastly, this plan is viable because the nature of trending hashtags on social media allows #HomelessNotLess to spread easily around the city and create a lasting impact, as seen by the #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter movements.