Upon conducting interviews with people who formerly experienced or are currently experiencing homelessness, the most helpful tactics have been establishes. For example, a strong need for a safe and comfortable sleeping area and lack of homeless shelters who accept young single males has indicated a need for temporary sleeping/living areas. In addition, a space for people to have the ability to clean themselves has been requested by both interviewees.
The community garden is located on an adjacent block across the street from the apartments. This includes 14 planters for gardening, fruit trees, nine spaces for seating and several covered stands for fresh produce sales and a community-supplied food pantry. The community garden also serves as a barrier between the housing for single mothers and the reused shipping containers dedicated for temporary shelter for the people experiencing homelessness and otherwise vulnerable, a pop-up clinic and a public bathroom with showers.
Six abandoned shipping containers left on one of the lots in the Third Ward neighborhoods will be used to create ten small temporary shelter units, two bathrooms (male and female) and a small pop-up clinic with volunteer medical personnel. The temporary shelter spaces will have sleeping, working and resting area. These shipping containers will be located by the community garden where people experiencing homelessness can receive fresh produce and other goods in the food pantry.
