By the end of 2014, homelessness in the U.S. hit several records — but that's no cue to celebrate. The number of homeless children is at an all-time high, as is the overall homeless population in New York, the nation's most populous city. Across the globe, an estimated 100 million people are homeless.

It's a complex issue that attracts a lot of well-intentioned yet overly simplistic solutions. Sustainable housing efforts for the homeless are becoming more common, and often show signs of success. Incorporating architectural design is essential — it may be exactly what the fight against homelessness needs.

The Housing First approach

Los Angeles' Skid Row Housing Trust, which serves an area with one of the highest concentrations of homeless people in the U.S., is a prime example.

Its Star Apartments, completed in 2013 and officially opened in October 2014, has 102 units designed for chronically sick and mentally ill homeless people. The space is intended to house 10,000 people over the next 10 years. It offers 15,000 square feet of community space, including a garden, a running track, art rooms and a library. There's also a medical clinic, counselors and a wellness center.

The Star Apartments in Los Angeles' Skid Row.

But the building makes a visual statement in the community as well. Its modern facade, made of prefabricated, block-shaped modules — part of a number of innovative buildings from the Skid Row Housing Trust — helps transform the L.A. skyline.

As Lyra Kilston writes on Next City, before buildings like Star, "Skid Row’s mostly low-rise buildings didn't even appear in the skyline — out of sight, out of mind." But now, these buildings don't allow the city to ignore homelessness; the architecture alone helps raise awareness on the issue.

Star's architect Michael Maltzan, who has also designed luxury buildings around the country, approached the Trust's buildings in the same way. "The community that lives here should have a similar environment to anybody that could afford something more expensive," he told the L.A. Times.

This concept is part of a larger, relatively new model in the U.S. established over the past decade: Housing First. Instead of leading homeless people to shelters, halfway houses and rehabilitation services before permanent housing (the "housing ready" model), many programs are doing the reverse. Studies show it's more cost-effective to give a homeless person housing than letting him or her continue to live on the street, saving the government money in the long run.

The one-size-fits-some problem

Although the federal government currently endorses Housing First as the better way to fight homelessness, it's not without drawbacks. Ralph DaCosta Nunez, president and CEO of the Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness, argues it's a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn't acknowledge other important needs homeless families have: education, job training, job placement assistance, generational poverty, etc.

Nunez cites New York City as a case study in why Housing First isn't a catch-all solution, explaining that earlier "rapid re-housing" programs increased recidivism and demand for shelters, and decreased funding for anti-poverty programs.

The Skid Row Housing Trust's New Genesis apartments, completed in 2012, combines housing and services for the homeless, and has both low-income and market-rate units.

So, housing needs to provide more than just shelter; stability, prevention and advancement are crucial. There has to be a baseline of support for the myriad reasons someone may be homeless, whether it's economic hardship, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence or otherwise. A home, it seems, is not a simple cure for homelessness.

As counterintuitive as it may sound, that's exactly where architectural design can help, like Star in Los Angeles. The complex isn't just a home; it's a springboard back into society. In the future, we may see many more architectural initiatives that expand the Housing First model, infusing homes with the extra support services their residents need.

Homeless housing success stories

It's important to note that these buildings definitely aren't the first of their kind. There's St. Vincent de Paul Village in San Diego, California, which opened its $12 million Joan Kroc Center in 1987, aiming to become a holistic one-stop-shop for homeless rehabilitation. In 2013, it provided housing and support to 15,195 people.

The Plaza Apartments in San Francisco.

There's also the environmentally sustainable Plaza Apartments in San Francisco, completed in 2006, which has space for social workers and health care professionals. The design, however, features colorful panels, open courtyards and warm hues, making the building feel decidedly nonclinical.

Head a bit east, and you'll find Utah is a trailblazer in housing programs, reducing its rate of chronic homelessness by 74% over eight years. Its Sunrise Metro Apartments were among the first programs the state offered. And in Austin, nonprofit Mobile Loaves & Fishes plans to create a village of tiny houses for the homeless, offering an on-site medical center and connecting each resident with employment opportunities.

These examples are in stark contrast to the dark side of design — NIMBYism (from "not in my back yard"). Cities often employ design techniques in order to deter homeless people, from the cruelly obvious, such as spikes built into concrete, to more subtle technologies, such as strategically placed bench armrests that discourage sleeping.

Anti homeless floor studs. So much for community spirit :( pic.twitter.com/Yz8VF7Ryid — Ethical Pioneer (@ethicalpioneer) June 6, 2014

Other design stopgaps have better intentions, like repurposed parking meters that donate to charity and "mobile homeless shelters," but they're still unfeasible band-aids on the larger problem.

Architectural design, on the other hand, is a preliminary measure that allows for functional and aesthetic support. After all, good design can be therapeutic in and of itself, capable of reducing stress and producing an overall positive experience.

Creating homes for the homeless that actively integrate support programs into the design may just give homeless people the help and agency they need to sustain themselves.