The shelters are set to be deployed in California, where they could provide a valuable new way to address the state’s homelessness crisis.
A new tool in the fight against homelessness appeared in front of city hall in Sacramento, Calif., on Nov. 13. In just 20 minutes, with no tools, a small team from the Washington-based company Pallet erected two fiberglass homeless shelters.
Pallet didn’t choose the location of its demonstration by accident: The need for novel interventions is especially pronounced in Sacramento County, where the number of homeless people rose by nearly 20 percent from 2017 to 2019. Pallet conducted a similar demonstration in Seattle.
The ease and speed of the shelter’s construction is its key innovation, allowing the structures to be quickly and cheaply deployed where they’re needed. Constructing a permanent 100-person shelter can take months and cost millions, the Sacramento Bee reports. By comparison, 100 people could be housed by 25 of Pallet’s pop-up shelters for around $200,000.
Pallet designed their shelters for use during disasters but city officials approached the company about using them for homeless people. The sturdy walls can withstand 110 mile-per-hour winds and 1,600 pounds of snow.
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New homeless shelter pops up in 20 minutes without tools https://t.co/jBC1PFO0Qr pic.twitter.com/limNN5ui1i
— The Hill (@thehill) December 31, 2020
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