About the Project

Overview

The Haven Homes project is an effort to develop new ways for housing to better serve individuals and society.

Through this project, we aim to convince large-scale real estate developers to build Broad Appeal Specialty Housing (BASH) to reduce problems caused by growing homeownership costs. To prove the BASH concept, we are building homes that model how specialty features can cost-effectively create homes that are lifechanging to certain people, yet still appeal to a wide audience.

To show the versatility of BASH, for our first housing projects we chose two very different specialties—trauma recovery housing and pet-friendly housing—and we built features from both concurrently into two different kinds of structures: Haven House, a group living facility made from an existing residential single-family home, and Cloud Nine Studios, a new commercial multi-family apartment building.

To that end, we followed principles of trauma-informed design and made animal-supportive homes that help their inhabitants—both human and feline—feel better and heal.

Goals

Multiple Objectives

While the original goal was only to popularize the BASH housing model, during the course of the project, additional goals have been added.

For example, we developed several therapeutic modalities to help overcome common barriers that impede trauma recovery therapy. After putting these modalities into practice, we are working to continue developing them and research their efficacy, then share the results to contribute to the emerging field of trauma-informed design.

We also developed several animal-supportive architectural concepts that benefit not just the people and pets who will use them, but also the property owners, making these features financially viable for rental properties and affordable housing projects. Similarly, we are working to continue research and development and share what we have learned so that these concepts can benefit more people and animals.

Finally, so far we have built two trauma recovery housing facilities for women, which are in high demand and short supply. In addition to maintaining these buildings, we are working to maximize their impact by coordinating with other organizations who are in a position to put these facilities to their best use.

Multiple Paths to Success

While these goals are all interrelated, they all have success conditions that can be achieved independently and in multiple ways.

For example, the project could fail to have any impact the project could fail to popularize any concepts—with nobody ever executing BASH nor any therapeutic modalities or animal-supportive architecture concepts—but if Haven House and Cloud Nine Studios consistently provide housing to the people who need it, that will make the project a worthwhile endeavor even if the impact never extends beyond the immediate local area.

Likewise, everything else could fail, Haven House and Cloud Nine Studios could be sold at foreclosure and turned into generic student housing, but if a single major concept became widely popularized, e.g., if litter closets became somewhat common, if only in the DIY community, or if the Recovery Pathway were to be validated as an effective therapeutic tool and used elsewhere, the amount of good done would also make the project worthwhile and able to be considered a success.

However, this project is aiming higher. For example, by trying to bring about this scenario:

After presenting our ideas to several large-scale developers, one decides to build a sizeable complex of animal-supportive homes. This taps into the enormous unsatisfied demand that comes from over half of all renters planning to become pet owners, yet finding truly pet-friendly housing virtually absent from the market. The developer rents all the units so quickly that they beat projections and they immediately plan another similar complex, enjoying their first-mover advantage and forcing competitors to follow suit or build different types of specialty housing to remain competitive. Capitalizing on the national attention being paid to the local housing industry, the City of San Diego, in partnership with locally-based Petco, launches a jointly-funded campaign to brand San Diego as the most pet-friendly city in America. As part of this campaign, grants are made available to fund the additional costs of animal-supportive architecture to affordable housing projects. BASH, now mainstream, spreads to other cities and countries, with animal-supportive housing as the universal spearhead, followed by other types that vary by region, ultimately leading to increased home satisfaction worldwide and millions of animal lives being saved due to the abundance of pet-friendly housing.

Such a scenario would

After all, the market conditions are just right for a trend to catch fire.

https://www.aspca.org/improving-laws-animals/public-policy/housing/pet-friendly-housing-and-renters Of those surveyed, more than 80% of respondents said a pet-friendly policy played a major role in where they chose to live, and nearly 90% said they have a pet. Of the renters surveyed who do not currently own pets, more than half plan to become pet owners within the next year. Add to strategy: Massive demand is not being met.

On the other hand

the BASH concept could go nowhere, all the animal-supportive architecture could have fatal flaws,

Immediate Goals

Reasonable goals within locus of control and scope of project.

• Provide homes that help residents thrive
  • Enable new lifestyles
  • Help residents get quality sleep
  • Elevate residents’ mood, focus, and productivity
  • Increase amount residents cook at home
  • Improve cat behavior
  • Create perception of good value
• Avoid angering the neighbors
  • Discourage bothersome behavior
  • Eliminate unnecessary noise
  • Attract residents without cars
• Test experimental housing concepts
  • Test BASH model
  • Test animal-friendly housing model
  • Refine architectural concepts that improve pet health and reduce anxiety
• Help contributing partners succeed
• Milestones / Timeline

Future Goals & Moonshots

Mixing my arrogance with weapons-grade optimism and extrapolating to infinity.

• Prevent millions of animal deaths
  • Soften blow of housing crisis
  • Normalize animal-centric architecture
  • Make pet ownership easier
• Make renting more desirable than owning for many (BASH)
  • Make semi-communal living compatible with capitalism
• Make San Diego even better than it is today
  • San Diego branding campaign
  • Pet-friendly housing fund
  • Make San Diego safer
• Help people with disabilities
  • Extend/improve the ADA
• Avert major catastrophe
  • Improve mental health through pet ownership
  • Build stronger social bonds through semi-communal living
  • Reduce conflict between socioeconomic classes
• Popularize decentralized ventilation
• Develop new kinds of BASH
  • Homes for people in wheelchairs with cats
  • Homes for people with large dogs
  • Homes for blind people with large dogs
  • Homes for people with small children
  • Homes for people with small children with disabilities
• Build an animal sanctuary
• Advance other projects

Sample Metrics

• Goal: Normalize the concept of pet-friendly features. Increase recognition and usage of general terms for new animal-centric architectural concepts.
  Metrics: Search result volume, Wikipedia article activity, inclusion in major real estate search engine filters.
• Goal: Increase demand for pet-friendly features.
  Metrics: Keyword search trends, real estate market research.
• Goal: Increase the number of homes built with pet-friendly features.
  Metrics: Real estate market research.