It was apparent early on in our research that laundry was one of the key problems facing the community in the campamentos- so I am  excited about taking it on.  I am thankful to my classmates and outside resources that helped me to develop my proposal for mid-term.  The amazing insights into the problems with laundry that were expressed by each team spurred me forward and I was able to gather and analyze my own findings with the collective research to help find my project direction.   Since the general topic of laundry came attached to numerous problems I narrowed my scope to focus on time and injury related to laundry.   Even though, my scope focused on two very specific problems I found that by doing so my project became richer, and in a wonderful way created the opportunity to make an even larger impact on the community.

Problem Laundry takes a long time and causes injury

Solution          A common laundry facility or Lavandería.

The shared laundry facility would save money, increase access to washers and dryers, save time, build relationships and encourage personal growth. A great benifit of a shared laundry facility- besides addressing the time and injuries associated with washing, is the opportunity to build community relationships.  The shared space also has the potential to become an important collaborative space for the community- housing classes, computers, gatherings, community boards, childrens space, etc…

As I contiune to explore the possibilites for  a community space/lavandería, I also hope to learn from/implement some of the projects from my fellow students, build off of some existing frameworks set up by UnTecho and work with the families in the campamentos and casa definitiva to create the most effective and impact-full laundry/community space I can.

-Stephanie