Huts for the Homeless Meeting Needs
Eugene, Oregon and Walla Walla, Washington are two Northwest cities welcoming a new way to provide housing for people who are homeless. Huts for the homeless provide both shelter and the stability people need to look toward their next steps. (1)
The shelters are known as Conestoga Huts because of their resemblance to the Conestoga wagon that early pioneers rode west. A woman named Jocelyn gave Seattle news station KOMO a tour of her and her partner’s hut, enthusiastically describing its features. “It’s just really warm and awesome and amazing,” she said. (1)
Most important is that the huts for the homeless provide grounding and consistency. “When you have a place to keep your possessions dry and safe instead of hauling them around, then you can start stabilizing your life and figuring out what the next step is,” Jocelyn told the news crew. (1)
Conestoga Huts
Erik de Buhr, who works for the organization Community Supported Shelters in Oregon, designed the Conestoga Hut. Although the huts include only 60 square feet of living space, they have many advantages over both tents and tiny homes. (1, 2)
The huts are stronger and more durable than tents. And they are less expensive to construct than a tiny home, which some cities have been building as housing solutions for their homeless population. Conestoga Huts cost around $2,500 to build and take just a few hours to assemble. Tiny homes can cost between $10,000 and $20,000 and take weeks to build. (1, 2)
Each hut has a 20-square-foot front porch with the option for a rain fly. The walls, floor, and roof are all insulated. While Community Supported Shelters says that Conestoga Huts aren’t as warm as conventional dwellings, they are much warmer than tents. (2)
Another important feature of the Conestoga Hut is that it locks. David Quale leads a volunteer group that has built more than 80 Conestoga Huts in Eugene. “Oh, it’s a great idea,” he said. “They’re lockable which is really important because a lot of people on the street lose their stuff.” (1, 2)
Transitional Living Spaces
The goal of building the Conestoga Huts is to provide temporary shelter for people so they can get back on their feet. de Buhr hopes that more of the Pacific Northwest will embrace the idea. “I think it’s headed as a Pacific Northwest regional approach to temporary shelter,” he said in an interview with KOMO.
Eugene has opened the way for the Conestoga Huts as a city. The city council passed an overnight camping ordinance allowing people to sleep in their cars, tents, or Conestoga Huts. There can be up to 20 huts on parking lots, six at a church, and one at a private home. (1)
There are now a few Conestoga Hut communities that people apply to live in. James Clapp lives at a Conestoga Hut village specifically for veterans. “I would say this place pretty much saved my life,” he told Komo. “Where I’m going to go from here? I’m looking for new employment opportunities.” (1)
At one point, Jeff Howard lived in a Conestoga Hut. He now has his own apartment. “It was fantastic,” he said in an interview with Komo. “It gave me a stable place to operate from.” When asked what’s next for him, he said, “Who knows? Hopefully brighter things. Just having a safe secure place is amazing. It’s life-changing.” (1)
