Enterprise Housing: A Social Justice Movement

Born of Jesuit Care for Community

Author

Eugene J. Muscat

University of San Francisco

14th Annual World Forum

Colleagues in Jesuit Business Education

International Association of Jesuit Business Schools

Business and Education in an Era of Globalization:

The Jesuit Position

July 20-23, 2008

Introduction

Growing up in San Francisco in the mid-1950s was a time when the character of many neighborhoods was “living above the store” – a practice that struggles to survive today. It was commonplace for multi-generational families to have the family business and the family housed in a single, affordable structure. Children played in the shop or in the kitchen. Aging parents cared for their young grandchildren and were in turn cared for by their adult children. Communication technology was simple. There were no cell phones or pagers; people just shouted out the window or down the stairs for immediate results. It was not perfect, but based on the caregiving options of the time, the available live-work options made economic sense. A generation of newcomers to this country built communities and equity through home-based businesses. In San Francisco, the number of home-based businesses remains substantial in spite of many obstacles. In 2004, nearly 30,000 San Franciscans worked primarily at home (U.S. Census Bureau, 2004). It is not known how many of these entrepreneurs were also caregivers, but anecdotal information implies there is significant overlap.

Based on observation, the overlap occurs most often with immediate relatives, parents, siblings, and in-laws. However, with today’s extended families the relationships become more complex. “Extended” can describe physical distance as well as relationships. Therefore, the old style of caregiving described above is not always possible. Recent experiences in San Francisco have brought to attention the growing reality that home-based businesses and home-based caregiving has risen dramatically. Hence, the need for housing that is affordable and appropriate to these business owners and home-based caregivers is critical.

New Housing Options Should Support Home-Based Businesses

Home-based businesses can be part of the solution to two serious issues facing the world’s urban centers. First, regardless of the cost of housing, the gap between housing costs and wages continues to widen. Add to this the growing need and cost for childcare and eldercare and one will identify a growing urban population in economic stress. Working from home is not for everyone, but it does offer the option of “putting all of one’s [economic] eggs in one basket” and purchasing rather than renting living and working facilities. The second global issue is the growing problem of environmental pollution. Working from home dramatically reduces commuting for both workers and customers alike. Again, working or caregiving from home is not for everyone, but it can be one sustainable component of urban planning that can improve the quality of life for business owners and employees who need and want to care for their children and parents in ways that compliment – not compete with – their economic progress.

The University of San Francisco along with local civic and professional housing advocates has launched a research effort to define some optimal housing options for work-at-home professionals. The housing design options that are supportive of home-based work and care are described in the report Enterprise Housing for San Francisco – The Future of Home-Based Family Businesses (Adams, Coyne, Kirby, Lucaccini, Marti, McNulty, Muscat, etc. al., 2007).

New Housing Options Should Support Caregivers

Caregiving is an important provisioning activity in the United States. A 2003 study shows that one in five households provided care to relatives and friends. Of this population, 70 percent lived in the home or nearby (National Alliance for Caregiving, 2004). Although many are able to volunteer their time, others soon merge their personal commitment with their professional need for employment. Like many important careers, such as teaching and artistry, compensation levels often do not match the housing costs in many localities. Couple this dilemma with the environmental and quality-of-life issues growing out of commuting and one often sees the need to develop housing options for home-based business owners and caregivers that are both affordable and appropriate to the occupations.

In addition to the housing design options for home-based work and care mentioned above, the University of San Francisco along with local civic and professional housing advocates has also included in its research effort some optimal housing options for caregivers. These housing design options supportive of home-based work and care are described in the report Enterprise Housing for San Francisco – The Future of Home-Based Family Businesses. (Adams, etc. al, 2007).

Why are New Housing Options Needed?

The need for new housing options that are appropriate for home-based caregivers is urgent, since the incidence of home-based caregiving is increasing dramatically. It is expected that one in three households (up from one in five in 2003) will provide caregiving by the year 2020 (McQueen, 2006). Many of these caregivers and clients will live in the same or a nearby residence.

Combine this with what research shows regarding obstacles to in-home caregiving. One survey conducted in 2003 by the National Association for Caregiving asked: “Have you made modifications in the house or apartment where your (charge) lives to make things easier for your (charge)?” Survey responses indicate that 39 percent of the caregivers had made such modifications (National Alliance for Caregiving, 2004).

The Enterprise Housing initiative at the University of San Francisco (USF) in partnership with Asian Neighborhood Design (AND) has identified many benefits that flow to caregiver, client, and community when both parties are proximate. The AND/USF activities strive to accommodate business operators and customers, including caregivers and clients, whose business operation is in the same residence, housing complex, or neighborhood. The result of the implementation of the recommendations contained in this report could result in the construction of affordable live-work options. Due to substantial reductions in commuting to and from the workplace, these residential units should build healthy communities and protect the environment.

Community Action Plan

Community-based caregivers often ask: “What can I do to bring about change in the housing options available in my community?” Regrettably, the response only suggests work for others. One proposal is that caregivers gain support from their professional associations and work with local city planners to develop an action plan (see below) to promote affordable and appropriate housing designed to accommodate in-home caregiving.

Potential Action Plan Elements

  1. Immediate Action(One year or less): Identify an existing community agency involved in this type of issue (housing/public health/city planning). Work with them to determine the requirements and select a small number of existing housing units that could serve as models for at-home care. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each unit in a real-world environment for all involved. Identify a small number of qualified caregivers and potential clients. In the design world, conducting a “charity” with all stakeholders could identify local design alternatives; this was a step taken in San Francisco as a part of the USF/AND Enterprise Housing initiative. As for city planning steps, one might propose tax incentives for builders andrent incentives for caregivers to speed the construction of model caregiving residential units and communities. In some San Francisco Bay Area communities, firemen, policemen, and teachers are given rent/housing rebates to encourage them to live in the community. Building on this precedent for caregivers’ housing may be an option worth exploring through U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding or other resources.
  1. Near Term Action (One to five years): Analyze and negotiate language and policies for city planning. Begin zoning and remodeling units and complexes; to reduce isolation of individual clients, complexes near shopping and transportation hubs are encouraged. Identify a waiting list for caregivers and clients.
  1. Long Term (Five to Ten Years or more): Implement and continuously refine policies by city planning. Set up a community agency to work with developers and state/federal agencies for financing incentives to construct units and complexes. This same agency can coordinate with caregivers and their clients.

Conclusion

This article was produced in response to a widely observed need. Hopefully, the information will inform and inspire others to seek better and more affordable residential options for caregivers. I want to acknowledge Sally Gelardin for bringing the specific needs of the caregiver audience to my attention and Luigi Lucaccini for his leadership in the generation of the Enterprise Housing publication at USF.

I urge each participant in the IAJBS Conference to educate themselves on the benefits of potential work-at-home housing design options and to communicate interest to regional city planners. As a knowledgeable consumer one can influence city planning and development by communicating with city planners and requesting supportive housing designs from developers and landlords. This will be a slow process, but in the end could make it easier and more affordable for more caregivers to provide home-based services. I believe at-home care will offer significant benefits for the environment and an improved quality of life for caregivers and care recipients.

For the University of San Francisco this has been an ideal activity to engage faculty and students in the community it serves. The initiative is very consistent with the USF 2028 strategic planning effort currently underway. Regardless of the specific outcomes, an interdisciplinary research/service project of this type integrating the schools of Arts, Business, Law, and Nursing demonstrates the USF Jesuit Mission: “Educating Minds and Hearts to Change the World”.

Definitions

Caregiver

A caregiver tends to the needs of a child or an adult. The word "care" is related to a journey. The role of caregiver, therefore, is to accompany that child or adult on a journey taking all in many directions, enhancing the care of the loved one, and deepening the relationship among participants. (Gelardin, 2007)

Enterprise Housing

The use of a residence to generate income from a home-based business or through work done for another. The key to successful enterprise housing projects is appropriate construction design and civic planning (see end note to this article).

Provisioning

Making available what people need to grow and develop. One need that has become a challenge in urban America is finding appropriate and affordable housing that meets the needs of caregivers and charges.

Live-Work Typology

For the caregiving audience these three live-work formats (Gurstein, 2001) offer the possible options listed:

–Live-work blended: Domestic space is blended with work with varying degrees of separation, but no buffer. Favored by home workers wanting close proximity to children or adult wards.

–Live-work separated: Domestic and occupational spaces are physically separated with different entrances, but share the same structure or occupy the same lot. Used by home workers who have visiting clients and need separation from children and domestic activities.

–Work shared: Workspace is physically separated from housing and shared by a group of individuals in the vicinity. A common work center is available to residents and possibly members of the larger community.

End Notes/Recognitions:

My Motivation

I became concerned with affordable live-work options as a San Francisco resident and educator who heard the complaints of graduates from the best Bay Area universities who could not afford to purchase a home in San Francisco. Graduates from many schools, including the University of San Francisco, found housing options were not suitable or affordable. Budgets were strained due to high costs for commuting to and from work along with the basic investment of time and money to live in one place and work in another. This is both a social justice and a “brain drain” issue. If housing options that meet the AND/USF Enterprise Housing design recommendations were available, then many more young people and families would be able to live, work, and care for their children and parents in San Francisco.

During this same time period between 2000 and 2006, I took note of many city residents who were becoming full-time and part-time caregivers for aging parents. As an academic researcher, I see this trend as a significant change in the provisioning responsibility faced by many urban residents in the United States. Many of these individuals have gone from providing care for their children to providing care for their parents and in some cases both. Like the respondents in the NAC survey mentioned in the article above, many of these individuals reported facing obstacles to caregiving due to the physical characteristics of the residential properties.

I am not an expert on the housing design needs of caregivers, but I hope this article will encourage other Jesuit universities to provide support through faculty and student resources to regional professional associations that support caregivers to conduct interviews and catalog appropriate design needs. It seems clear that design specifications for bedrooms, bathrooms, exercise space, medication storage, and security could assist future homebuilders and homebuyers alike. I am grateful to the USF Jesuit Community Foundation for the grant support that made it possible to launch this initiative.

Enterprise Housing Publication

“Enterprise Housing for San Francisco – The Future of Home-Based Family Businesses”

Enterprise Housing Team: Daniel Adams, Frederick P. Rose Architectural Fellow, AND; Allyson Coyne, Third Year Law, USF School of Law; Mason Kirby, Architect; Luigi Lucaccini, Research Associate, USF Family Business Center; Fernando Marti, Project Architect, AND; Rose McNulty, Principal Architect, AND; Eugene Muscat, Senior Associate Dean, USF School of Business and Management; Seth Wachtel, Director, USF Architecture and Community Design Program; and Meredith Walters, McLaren Research Fellow, USF School of Business and Management.

Live-work housing for family-operated, home-based businesses is the subject of this recent publication produced by the University of San Francisco School of Business and Management’s Family Business Center in collaboration with Asian Neighborhood Design, a non-profit community agency in San Francisco. The focus is on retaining lower-income families in San Francisco though affordable live-work housing: housing that considers family needs as well as the requirements of home-based family business enterprises.

The book features “what if” prototype live-work designs for a sample of four San Francisco neighborhoods and business-family types. The designs were generated at an open charrette held at the American Institute of Architects office in San Francisco. In addition, social and economic arguments for live-work housing are reviewed along with local data and references to earlier defining studies and work. Commentaries by John King, Dean Macris, Sherry Ahrentzen, and leading micro-business specialists are incorporated.

References

Adams, D., Coyne, A., Kirby, M., Lucaccini, L., Marti, F., McNulty, R., Muscat, E., Wachtel, S., Walters, M., etc. al. (2007). “Enterprise housing for San Francisco – the future of home-based businesses.” Asian Neighborhood Design. San Francisco: Asian Neighborhood Design and USF School of Business and Management. May 1, 2007. <

Gelardin, Sally (2007). (Caregiver definition).

Gurstein, Penny (2001). Wired to the world, chained to the home: Telework in daily life. Vancover, BC: UBC Press.

McQueen, MP (2006). “Employers expand eldercare benefits.” Wall Street Journal. July 27, 2006.

National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP (2004). “Caregiving in the U.S.: Findings from the national caregiver survey. April 2004, accessed March 1, 2008. <

U.S. Census Bureau (2004). “San Francisco County, California: Selected economic characteristics.”

Eugene James Muscat

Eugene is a professor at the University of San Francisco School of Business and Management where he teaches courses in Management, Information Systems, and Family Business Management. He has traveled extensively and consults with academic and business organizations throughout the Pacific Rim region. Eugene grew up in a family business and his subsequent careers included employment in management training, software development, and consulting. His research interests include the use of technology in academic and business environments as well as all aspects of family business management. In direct support of emerging family businesses he has become a strong advocate for affordable housing based on a home-based business model defined as Enterprise Housing.

Professor Muscat received his MBA from the University of San Francisco and his doctorate from the University of Southern California.

CJBE and IAJBS 14th World Forum