Reframing homelessness

The persistent negative framing surrounding homelessness in the Netherlands hinders constructive policymaking and has a damaging effect on the self-esteem of the young homeless (van Steenbergen, 2020). So far, no strategies have been developed to think beyond this persistent framing. In the design research trajectories Bouwdepot [building depot] & Beelddepot [image depot] journalism researchers, design researchers, social researchers, policymakers, and formerly homeless young adults, co-designed methods to develop new ways of representing homelessness. Utilizing Frame Innovation (Dorst, 2015), we co-designed and reimagined solutions going forward including the perspectives of policymakers, journalists, and people with lived experiences in homelessness. We have reasons to believe the Beelddepot strategies are a first step in reframing the perception of homelessness.