New Horizons Shelter and Street Bean Espresso

   While in Seattle, one of the most inspiring places I visited was the New Horizons Teen Shelter and Street Bean Espresso. The tour began with the teen shelter, and the re-purposed loading dock they now use for an entrance. The teens can wait in this small area out of the cold and rain before the shelter opens.

   I was then led into the facility and upstairs to a meeting room. Street Bean is a faith-based non-profit shelter. They provide food, shelter, clothing, laundry and showers to homeless teens in Seattle. They average 30-40 teens as walk-in each night. They would like to have some semi-permanent rooms for the teens that are regular users of the facility and have proven to be working toward a better life.

  From a design standpoint, the space was nothing special. Street Bean needs the space to be welcoming, safe and efficient. They also need a place for the kids to feel safe, and be able to decompress from the streets. The space they have takes a lot of abuse, so durability is definitely a factor. Safety is, of course, the main concern. Therefore, the space needs to be open, so monitoring the kids can be done easily and constantly. They also need a flexible and adaptable space, as there are many different activities that take place there.

   Street Bean’s biggest concern is to get the teens ready for work. The teens that are provided with food and shelter are asked to work in the Espresso Shop located across the street. The coffee shop provides on the job training for the teens, as well as a source of income for the shelter. Truly Street Bean provides more than beds, food, and job training for homeless Seattle teens. Street Bean provides hope. Hope for a better future and a better life. Hopefully some good design implemented into their space can help provide an even brighter outlook for these teens.