New research lab seeks solution to local housing crisis
January 13, 2023
“Homelessness has become a part of the fabric of life, but it doesn’t have to be. I want to create awareness of this issue, so that students can respond as responsible and compassionate citizens: ‘It doesn’t have to be this way. It ought not be this way.’” For Margie Pfeil, Ph.D., teaching professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, the local housing crisis is one which necessitates connection beyond the classroom walls. Enter Housing and the Common Good Research Lab, a new course for spring 2023 centered on housing as a human right which invites students to learn about and interact with local agencies and individuals addressing housing needs, all while conducting research to address the local crisis.
The idea for the course began in December 2021 when Pfeil gave a presentation as part of the Signs of the Times series on local housing and Motels4Now, a low-barrier shelter in South Bend. Pfeil, who is one of the founders of Our Lady of the Road, a local hospitality house, was excited to have an opportunity to link her academic and housing work more explicitly. The course begins this semester with understanding the history behind the housing crisis in the United States, emphasizing specifically the local context. The groundwork for the course will also introduce students to the housing continuum of care, which includes the possible options an individual has when they are without housing such as a weather amnesty shelter, high-barrier shelter, affordable housing, and more. The second half of the semester will dive into models addressing the housing crisis and other related issues.
Throughout the course, students will frequently engage with the South Bend community. On February 10, they will attend the Housing Continuum of Care: Enhancing Low-barrier Shelter and Supportive Housing Options conference, which gathers local experts seeking to identify gaps in the housing options. Students will have an opportunity to learn about current regional efforts and spend time in conversation about housing. In March, they will present on the topic of “Housing as a Human Right in Service of the Common Good” at the biennial Catholic Social Tradition Conference. By the end of the semester, each student will develop their own research project further exploring an aspect of the housing crisis and proposing creative solutions to address the issue locally. These projects could be passed on to future terms of this course where new students could continue local efforts across several years.
Pfeil hopes that as a result of this course students will see this as an issue that affects all of us and be able to converse about housing topics across party lines. The course is meant to cultivate the skills and tools necessary to contribute, wherever students find themselves, in meeting housing needs. “Providing housing for all is a part of working toward the common good.”
