ABSTRACT

The Kenton Women’s Village is the first city-sponsored pod village for people experiencing homelessness in Portland, Oregon. The village features individual sleeping pods and shared common facilities, and is managed by a local nonprofit organization. Villages have historically been self-governed communities borne of grassroots activism but have become increasingly of interest to nonprofits and municipalities seeking to address homelessness. As the village model proliferates throughout the United States, significant research that centers villager experience to inform the design, operations, and governance structures of future villages is needed. These interviews with the residents of Kenton Women’s Village revealed several themes around villagers’ experiences and perceptions of their pods, life in the village, and the surrounding community. This initial exploration contributes to our understanding of the managed pod village model and may inform the design of future villages as well as research with other pod villages across the Portland metro area.