Rising Waters Question 2: A Roadmap to Restrooms

Identifying Barriers to Providing Public Restrooms for Persons Experiencing Homelessness

Presenter: Lauren Hart

Co-Presenter(s):
Itze Peña-Andrade

Presenter Status: Graduate student

Academic Year: 20-21

Semester: Spring

Faculty Mentor: Armand Gilinsky

Department: Business Administration

Funding Source/Sponsor: CEI

Other Funding Source/Program: Rising Waters

President's Strategic Plan Goal: Sustainability and Environmental Inquiry

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=18CLt-mRQVeGKfuM6HQYJUZKLBa9rdmrW

Abstract:
In collaboration with the Rising Waters initiative through Sonoma State University's Center for Environmental Inquiry, our team is working to develop a case study which identifies and examines potential socio-political and legal barriers to providing restrooms or preventing the closure of public restrooms for people experiencing homelessness living near riparian areas. Our approach includes an evaluation of prior experiences and lessons learned through alternate restroom installations within the City of Santa Rosa. Through examination of previous implementations, we hope to distill feedback from various stakeholders, perform cost-benefit, stakeholder, and macroeconomic forces analyses, and generate strategic options based on those analyses. Our goal is to also identify strategies for effective toilet placements, including an assessment of the need for temporary vs. permanent restrooms.