WHITE PAPER

Cardborigami:
From Imagination to Operation

Design You Trust (n.d.)

Elbiss Gerigourian
Dr. Richard Matzen
Due: October 18, 2014

Page 1

Cardborigami: From Imagination to Operation

Effective leaders are powerful visionaries. These leaders are futureoriented, risk-takers, and they possess the ability to influence others to
voluntarily make day-to-day decisions that enhance the long-term
sustainability of social change (Rowe, 2001). Visionary leaders weave
imagination and creativity into operations to benefit the community. They
are passionate and possess the ability to recognize a need and search for
solutions to remedy that need. Visionary leaders are effective innovators
who think strategically and compassionately about the issues they are
tackling. These leaders change the paradigm in order to benefit the
organization as well as the society.

(Cardborigami, 2014)

Tina Hovsepian

Tina Hovsepian is one such example of a visionary leader. In 2007,

during her studies at the University of Southern Californias School of
Architecture, Tina created a portable shelter made out of cardboard using
the Japanese art of paper folding, origami (Cardborigami, 2014). Tinas
invention won its first award from the USC Stevens Center for Innovation
for a Most Innovative creation (A. Yarijanian, personal communication,
September 30, 2014).
In an interview with Mr. Alex Yarijanian (personal communication,
September 30, 2014), the Founding Board Chair of Cardborigami Nonprofit Organization, we discussed about the purpose of the innovation, the
process, and the marketing aspects for the stakeholders.

PURPOSE
The purpose of Cardborigami is to provide temporary shelters to
homeless individuals and assist them to transition into sustainable
housing.

What is Cardborigami?

(Cardborigami, 2014)

A folded
Cardborigami
being carried

Cardborigami is a portable shelter made out of water-proof and fire-proof

corrugated cardboard using the ancient Japanese art of paper folding,
origami (Cardborigami, 2014). Corrugated cardboard contains fluting
layers that are manufactured from short fibers; these fluting layers
provide: flexibility, strength towards pressure, and thermal insulation
(Aboura, Talbi, Allaoui, & Benzeggagh, 2004). As a result, these shelters
are light, easy to fold, easy to carry, and protect from the whether

Page 2

elements; they are shaped like an accordion and can be folded in less
than a minute (A. Yarijanian, personal communication, September 30,
2014).

Targeted Population

(Cardborigami, 2014)

A homeless
sleeping in a
Cardborigami unit

Cardborigami is a temporary, transitional, housing solution for those who

have lost their permanent housing. Homelessness is a major social issue
that can be caused by poverty, disaster, abuse, or mental illness (Styron,
Janoff-Bulman, and Davidson, 2000). According to Los Angeles
Homeless Services Authority (2014), there are almost 50,000 homeless
individuals in Los Angeles, which two-third of them are not sheltered.
Homelessness is a situation that has clear negative implications on ones
life. For instance, a homeless person may suffer from major health
concerns, social impairment, and mental health problems (A. Yarijanian,
personal communication, September 30, 2014).
Homeless individuals may experience different health issues due to living
on the streets; being exposed to external elements (e.g.: weather),
experiencing malnutrition, and having limited access to healthcare
providers. Some of the health concerns include diabetes, skin diseases,
tuberculosis, and cardiovascular complications (NAEH, 2014).
Homeless people also suffer from complex impairments in social
functioning such as the inability to find a job and obtain proper housing
(A. Yarijanian, personal communication, September 30, 2014).
Homeless people tend to suffer from psychological problems, for
instance, loss of self-efficacy, cognitive decline, and diminished ability to
care for oneself, which can cause a higher risk of developing substance
abuse disorders (A. Yarijanian, personal communication, September 30,
2014).
According to Alex Yarijanian (2014), in order to help the homeless people
to meet their basic physical, social, and psychological needs,
Cardborigami Inc. has manufactured portable shelters and has made
these shelters available to homeless individuals. However, these shelters
are only available to the newly homeless individuals and homeless
families (A. Yarijanian, personal communication, September 30, 2014).
In addition to providing portable shelters, the leadership of Cardborigami
has established a four step transitional process to help the homeless
transition from temporary to permanent housing. Through this four step
model, Cardborigami Inc. equips its participants with the necessary skills
set (e.g.: job training) in order to have sustainable housing and

Page 3

employment (A. Yarijanian, personal communication, September 30,

2014).

THE PROCESS OF TRANSITION

According to Alex Yarijanian (personal communication, September 30,
2014), Cardborigami uses a four-step process, called the Linear Path Out
of Homelessness, as its operational bases to transition its program
participants from a temporary to a permanent housing situation.

FOUR STEP TRANSITIONAL PROCESS

Step 4
Step 3
Step 2
Step 1

Sustainability

Enabling

Empowering

Immedate
Response

Step 1: Immediate Response

Cardborigamis first step in its formula out of homeless involves an
immediate response to its program participants needs by providing a
temporary shelter. In partnership with other organizations, shelters are
delivered to qualified program participants (newly homeless people and
homeless families) through partner organizations after a screening
process. The screening process aims to measure the extent to which
potential program participants are motivated to exit the condition of
homelessness.
Step 2: Empowerment
This second step refers to case management and connection to social
services. The case manager conducts an initial assessment and links
program participants to social services according to their assessment

Page 4

(Cardborigami Facebook,
2014)

Tina Hovsepian with

homeless youth
employed by
Cardborigami.
The goal of the
leaders of
Cardborigami Inc. is
not only to assist
the local homeless
people but also to
reach out all those
that are in need of
the portable
shelters around the
world.

findings. Some of these services are: healthcare services, Section 8

housing application assistance, linkage to mental health services if
needed, and providing job/skill training. This step is the core principle of
the model since it is designed to help program participants to attain their
physical and psychosocial stabilization.
Step 3: Enabling
Enabling refers to the step in this model which actually places the
participant in permanent housing. This step is typically fulfilled via
collaboration with organizations that are specialized in housing placement
for this target population.
Step 4: Sustainability
Step four is designed to assist program participants in sustaining their
newly found permanent housing status. Cardborigami either employs
these participants or refers them to organizations that specialize in job
placement for the population under discussion.

MARKET
Promoting
sustainability is a
core element of
Cardborigamis
role in the world.
Alex Yarijanian

(Cardborigami, 2014)

Alex Yarijanian

Promoting sustainability is a core element of Cardborigamis role in the

world (A. Yarijanian, personal communication, September 30, 2014).
Alex Yarijanian (2014) indicates that in order to achieve its organizational
mission, Cardborigami needs to have a financially viable operational
model. Within the first 6 months of launching its organizational website,
Cardborigami had received visitors from 96 countries and territories; a
significant number of these visitors showed an interest in the commercial
usage of the shelters (i.e.: dog houses, camping equipment, tent
alternatives, etc.) (A. Yarijanian, personal communication, September 30,
2014). As a result, Cardborigami has created a hybrid model of
operations by making these portable shelters available in the commercial
market and using the revenues to fund its non-profit charitable activities
(A. Yarijanian, personal communication, September 30, 2014).
According to Alex Yarijanian (2014), Cardborigami is positioning itself as
a wholesale-distributor and supplier of its products. The units will be
made available to consumers through Wal-Mart, Target, and other such
distribution channels. In addition, Cardborigami anticipates the United
States governmental agencies as being one of its larger buyers. For
example, when Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
responds to national disasters, it can deploy Cardborigami units as

Page 5

opposed to large and costly trailers to assist people with temporary

shelters. These units can also be used in areas that are experiencing a
surge in refugees without any space or shelter to house such displaced
people. Cardborigami is a rapid solution: Requiring no assembly with
features and no prior knowledge of its units usage (A. Yarijanian,
personal communication, September 30, 2014).

SUMMARY
Cardborigami is an innovative approach to the serious problem of
homelessness in two aspects: Product and process. Its a collaborative
approach with a unique shelter unit at its core. This non-profit
organization follows a four step model to provide shelters to the homeless
through a network of organizations helping homeless people. The goal of
Cardborigamis leadership is to promote sustainability not only in its local
areas but also globally. In order to achieve this goal, the leaders have
established a marketing model in which they will sell shelters for
commercial usage and stream commercial revenue to support its
charitable activities (A. Yarijanian, personal communication, September
30, 2014). Therefore, these leaders are recruiting partners and investors
to fund the production, sales, and distribution of their invention.
Cardborigamis leaders are powerful visionaries and strategists who are
determined to make a difference in this world by empowering the most
vulnerable of populations.

Page 6

References
Aboura, Z., Talbi, N., Allaoui, S., & Benzeggagh, M. L. (2004). Elastic behavior of corrugated
cardboard: experiments and modeling. Composite structures, 63(1), 53-62. Retrieved
October 5, 2014, from http://hal.archivesouvertes.fr/docs/00/63/69/59/PDF/Elastic_behavior_of_corrugated_cardboard_Experime
nts_and_Modeling_.pdf
Cardborigami (2014). Retrieved September 28, 2014, from http://cardborigami.org/.
Cardborigami Non-profit Organization. (2014, August 19). Photos from Cardborigami's post.
Facebook. Retrieved October 13, 2014, from
https://www.facebook.com/Cardborigami/photos/pcb.814960185194213/8149600451942
27/?type=1&theater
Design You Trust (2014). Cardborigami portable home structure. Design You Trust. Retrieved
October 2, 2014, from http://designyoutrust.com/2013/02/cardborigami-portable-homestructure/.
LAHSA (2014). Homeless Count Results. Los Angeles Homeless Services Association. Retrieved
September 29, 2014, from http://www.lahsa.org/homelesscount_results.asp.
NAEH (2014). Health care. National Alliance to End Homelessness. Retrieved on November 2,
2014, from http://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/mental_physical_health.
Rowe, W. G. (2001). Creating wealth in organizations: The role of strategic leadership. The
Academy of Management Executive,15(1), 81-94. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from

Page 7

http://ezproxy.woodbury.edu:880/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/2105303
21?accountid=25364.
Styron, T. H, Janoff-Bulman, R., & Davidson, L. (2000). Please ask me how I am: experiences
of family homelessness in the context of single mothers lives. Journal of Social Distress
and the Homeless 9(2), 143-165.