California is to get its first apartment block built entirely with recycled shipping containers to house homeless veterans!
Homelessness is a big problem in California with over 115,000 people recorded without a home in 2015. A staggering 11,000 of these are veterans which make up 24% of the total figure. This means California also the largest number of homeless veterans in the USA.
Potter’s Lane will only accommodate a small number of the homeless veterans in need but its hoped it will become an inspiration to others.
The individual 480-square-foot apartments consist of a bedroom, dining area, kitchen and a bathroom. Floor-to-ceiling windows will make up the walls on 2 sides with views to well maintained garden areas outside. Common areas and gardens will server the residents and encourage them to socialise. Its hoped the building will create a sense of community for the veterans.
Potter’s Lane is expected to be completed by January 2017
“We are not putting people in shipping containers,” American Family Housing CEO Donna Gallup told the Times. “We are putting them in housing — very energy-efficient, very structurally strong, very beautiful multifamily housing.”