THE BLOCK PROJECT:

We build homes for those living on the streets, and we take a bold stand: We will never end homelessness through housing alone. A new approach is needed, one that acknowledges that relationships are the building blocks for healing our communities and that we can no longer see those who are homeless as ‘other’. This bold new model invites all of us to step forward with our own abilities to create societal change. To learn more about this initiative and how you can get involved, please visit our BLOCK Project site.  http://the-block-project.org/home

The BLOCK Project’s approach to the issue of homelessness is:

The BLOCK Project invites community into the task of ending homelessness by placing a BLOCK Home in the backyard of one single-family lot on every residentially zoned block within the City of Seattle. Each 125 sq ft home is beautifully and sustainably designed to be self-sufficient, and amenity-rich (featuring a kitchen, bathroom, sleeping area, solar-panels, greywater system, composting toilet, etc.). The BLOCK Project represents an innovative leap forward on the issues of homelessness, cross-class integration, social inclusion, and architectural design.

The BLOCK Project is a housing initiative and a community building project. Through its integrated design, this project will not only offer opportunities for healing and advancement to those formerly living on the fringes of society, but it will also bring connection, relationship, and compassion to the center of our lives and communities. Many social injustices, including homelessness, are perpetuated through emotional and physical separation, which allows us to get stuck on the complexity of the issue. By literally saying, “Yes, in my backyard”, we will begin to see the person afflicted by the issue. We believe this will nurture the empathy needed to catalyze a global movement.