Expensive tiny homes have been in high demand since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. But on the opposite end of the housing spectrum, a tiny home maker specializing in personal units for people who are unhoused has also seen a surge in interest.
The Chandler Street Tiny Home Village.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Pallet, a social purpose company, creates shelters for people facing homelessness as a result of natural and personal disasters.
Pallet shelters in Multnomah County.
Multnomah County
These personal tiny homes can be set up in multiples to create small communities, allowing occupants to have safety and privacy away from larger community shelter buildings.
Pallet shelters in Multnomah County.
Multnomah County
"What we felt was really missing from the housing spectrum was a dignified shelter option that honored their individuality and allowed them to have autonomy in their rehabilitation process," Amy King, founder and CEO of Pallet, told Insider in January.
The Alexandria Park Tiny Home Village in Los Angeles.
Brittany Chang/Insider
The company's primary customer base is municipalities, although it's received orders from nonprofits, religious organizations, and people who own plots of land.
The Alexandria Park Tiny Home Village in Los Angeles.
Brittany Chang/Insider
According to King, while the tiny home community concept has been present for some time now, it's definitely become more of a trend as of late.
The Alexandria Park Tiny Home Village in Los Angeles.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Like other tiny home makers, Pallet first started seeing an uptick in interest in March 2020.
Pallet shelters in Santa Cruz, California.
Pallet
However, when early October 2020 hit, municipalities started realizing they would need individual shelters for people without homes during COVID-19-plagued wintertime.
The Arroyo Seco Tiny Homes Village in Highland Park, California.
Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission
This realization then created a second wave of Pallet interest in the same year.
The Arroyo Seco Tiny Homes Village in Highland Park, California.
Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission
The units were initially designed to serve as shelters for people who had lost their homes due to natural disasters, such as fires.
Pallet shelters in Santa Cruz, California.
Pallet
However, the company started opening its scope of potential occupants when homelessness began reaching a similar "disaster emergency level," according to King.
Pallet shelters in Fresno, California.
Pallet
Despite the potential to capitalize off of the tiny home boom, Pallet currently does not sell any of its units to one-off costumers looking for a backyard tiny home.
Pallet shelters in Santa Cruz, California.
Pallet
"Right now, we are heavily focused on the humanitarian crisis in front of us," King said. "We will not stop until homelessness has ended in this country, so that's where we're focusing our attention for the time being."
The Shelter 64.
Pallet
In 2020, Pallet built over 1,500 new beds across the US for use in states like California, Minnesota, Texas, and Hawaii.
The Pallet 100.
And this year, Los Angeles opened a collection of six Pallet-based tiny home villages to house the city's the unhoused population.
The Alexandria Park Tiny Home Village in Los Angeles.
The villages temporarily house hundreds of unhoused Los Angeles residents while providing on-site social services like mental health treatment, job resources, and case managers to help its residents find permanent homes.
The tiny homes at the Chandler Street Tiny Home Village.
Brittany Chang/Insider
It took Pallet five or six different iterations before it settled on this final design.
Pallet shelters in Multnomah County.
Multnomah County
It currently offers two shelter sizes: the 64-square-foot Pallet 64, and the 100-square-foot Pallet 100. Prices start at almost $5,500 and $9,000, respectively.
Pallet shelters in Fresno, California.
Pallet
The sleeping cabins consist of an aluminum frame and fiber-reinforced plastic composite walls.
The Pallet factory.
Pallet
These walls are insulated, but the home also comes with a heater and an air conditioner.
The Pallet 100.
Pallet
Like any home, the shelters are equipped with safety elements like a lockable door, a smoke detector, and a carbon monoxide monitor.
Pallet shelters in Santa Cruz, California.
Pallet
"For people who've experienced trauma, having a locking door can sometimes become the difference between accepting help getting off the street and making a step towards permanent supportive housing," Rowan Vansleve, CFO of Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission — the nonprofit running these villages — told Insider in an interview in April.
The tiny homes at the Chandler Street Tiny Home Village.
The shelters can accommodate up to four beds with a folding bunk bed system, although the beds can optionally be replaced with desks.
The Pallet 100.
Pallet
In terms of storage, the tiny home has shelves and room for under-bed storage.
The Shelter 64.
Pallet
The structure can withstand up to 100 mile-per-hour winds and manage up to 25 pounds per square-foot of snow.
Pallet shelters in Multnomah County.
Multnomah County
If that's not enough, Pallet also has an "extreme weather" version originally developed for a Hood River, Oregon location.
Pallet shelters in Multnomah County.
Multnomah County
However, none of the homes have bathrooms. This was intentional: the company wants its units to serve as "temporary stabilizing shelters" while its occupants wait for a more permanent option.
Pallet shelters in Multnomah County.
Multnomah County
Also, plumbing is expensive and more difficult to maintain, which would have driven the tiny home's price up.
Pallet shelters in Santa Cruz, California.
Pallet
Instead, Pallet has a created separate prefab bathrooms, community rooms, hand-washing stations, and service offices to compliments its tiny homes.
Pallet shelters in Multnomah County.
The units have a lifespan of more than 10 years, but many people only reside in these tiny homes for months at a time.
The Shelter 64.
Pallet
The units are also easy to clean and sanitize in between occupants, which is key given the homelessness emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Pallet 100.
Pallet
And unlike permanent "congregate" shelter options that could take years to build, Pallet's prefabricated tiny homes can be setup in under an hour, while a full village can be created within 10 days.
Pallet shelters in Multnomah County.
This allows Pallet to quickly and inexpensively address the homelessness crisis in the US.
The Shelter 64.
Pallet
While Pallet specializes in making individual shelters, the company recognizes the need for community shelters as well.
Pallet shelters in Santa Cruz, California.
Pallet
"Unfortunately, the homelessness crisis in this country has escalated to a point that we need all products," King said. "Each person needs something different, and we need to have a diversified opportunity for people to get their needs met."
Pallet shelters in Multnomah County.
Multnomah County
Homelessness isn't the only issue Pallet is tackling.
Pallet shelters in Santa Cruz, California.
Pallet
The Washington-based company's "social purpose" title means it serves as a combination between a for-profit and a non-profit organization.
The Pallet 100.
Pallet
As a result, profits made are put back into the company's two main missions: stopping "unsheltered homelessness," and creating a "nontraditional workforce."
The Pallet 100.
Pallet
To the latter point, 90% of Pallet's employees have once faced addiction, incarceration, or homelessness.
The Pallet factory.
Pallet
Pallet offers these employees workforce and "life skills" training, which includes teaching them how to start a bank account or get an ID.
Pallet shelters in Santa Cruz, California.
"If we didn't have them, I don't think we'd be nearly [as successful]," King said. "They're not just workers for us, they're helping lead the concept here."
The Pallet factory.
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