Sioux Falls, SD

Minnehaha County constructed a new 32-unit facility for Project Safe Home program participants, a national program which gives a homeless person a place to lay his head and keep his belongings, and offers the opportunity to spend public tax dollars more wisely.  A recent Minnehaha County study indicated the county’s top 11 chronically homeless individuals cost the public more an average of $338,000 annually due to the provision of services such as emergency room visits, ambulance services, detoxification and confinement, while still living on the streets.  

The facility includes participant single occupant apartments, common gathering spaces for counseling and treatment, administration, kitchen/cafeteria and additional support spaces.  The design also considered security, highly durable/low maintenance materials, future expansion opportunities and cost effectiveness.  Sustainable design elements feature a highly efficient building envelope, use of daylight, use of recycled materials, and water conservation. 
The Perspective team completed the initial design concept in the fall of 2009.   Construction was completed in the winter of 2012 with a performance goal that the facility will pay for itself in 7-10 years.