Where's the bathroom in this “mobile home”? Adding Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WaSH) infrastructure to agendas on homelessness and digital media

Abstract

Although access to water and sanitation have been recognized by the United Nations as human rights since 2010, that access continues to be a site of struggle in everyday life, especially among homeless populations. In this paper, we draw from two summers of a fieldwork-based course on homelessness and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Denver, Colorado to consider whether a Google Map of public restrooms in the city might be useful for unhoused people. The paper's conceptual framework stems from Hartmann's idea of “homing”—which refers to how digital media can help unhoused people create everyday routines, exercise some control over their lives and spaces, and gradually create a safe environment—to consider whether the Google Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Map might help unhoused people integrate bathroom access into routines, rounding out the so-called “mobile home” to provide relief and personal agency. The effort runs up against digital literacy issues that mitigate “access” and point to the limits of techno-solutions. This paper points to the need to consider both media literacies and inclusive design in creating digital solutions to address issues faced by unhoused people. We also argue that planners should think holistically about how digital and telecom-focused “solutions” relate to other necessary infrastructures—in this case, public toilets and water access.