Overall, the ‘Spaces of opportunity’ theme is about how people use and move through a service. According to the context, this can mean the buildings we use, or the networks, pathways and 'service eco-systems' that we create. it's how users come to any service, work through it, and (in most cases, but not all) how and where they can move on.

The built environment and it's 'social spaces'

Here, in the 'built environment' element specifically, we are looking at the immediate physical environment: the entrance ways in buildings, rooms and corridors - and what we call the 'social spaces' they create. This is about exploring and using all the opportunities that the design and layout of the building offers for establishing a better relationship with the users.

It's about how we use signage; colour; sound; design reception and other shared areas, corridors, and more obviously ‘social’ spaces such as dining rooms, TV rooms, and similar. We have moved on a long way from simply looking simply at the physical condition, the up-keep and repair of a building.

Originally, when suggesting the term PIE, we had spoken of the built environment, this being the core element of many homelessness  services - the original context of the PIEs approach (HERE). Even here we had included in that its ‘social spaces ‘ – meaning, by that, that it is not just the nature and physical condition of the buildings we use, but also the messages it conveys. What does this building 'say' about the way the service sees it's users? How might we see it through others' eyes?

Since then, with the PIEs approach being adopted also in services that support individuals in their own homes, or in the street, taking care over the way we approach the spaces that others have made for themselves means recognising how far they have created their own environment, and what it means to them.

Location, location, co-location

But still even this did not really cover many of the other crucial relationships that we may find in some services. There also needs to be some recognition of the role that any one single building may play as part of an integrated range of services.

This might include move-on accommodation, for medium-term support; or Clubhouse or ‘hub and spoke’ or ‘core and cluster’ models, with their valuable mixture of independence with flexibly available long-term support. Or it might include the deliberate co-location of several support services in one building or complex – not just for the convenience, but also because it can help users themselves to connect up complex needs, and reduce boundaries and referral delays.

Other aspects of 'space' as opportunity

Meanwhile, there will be many other, more loosely connected services and surroundings that any service may freely consciously use, and work with, but are outside the immediate control of the service, such as a local park, or coffee bars, to meet in. This area is huge, and also hugely valuable. So, to allow a more specific focus on this within the space of opportunity theme, we have created a separate area (HERE) for exploration of all this : the 'Surroundings and networks' element.

Finally there is also, within this main theme, the place of any one service in the range of other services in any locality, and the working relationships that the service might want to develop, or to improve, with other services to make these partnerships and transitions work better. This element of the work of service design is covered in the 'Pathways, systems and system coherence' element, HERE.

In the `Case studies’ (HERE), we have a number of examples of adaptations or changes in use that some services have made – often at almost no cost - that have made a noticeable difference.These may help to spark the imagination; and there are also a couple of very useful checklists that you will find in the Library that can point towards areas that might benefit from some attention.

Responsiveness : HERE

The other core PIEs 2.0 themes

• Psychological awareness ; HERE
• Training and support : HERE
• Learning and enquiry : HERE
• The Three Rs : HERE