One Of The Most Creative Ideas In Aiding Homelessness Is Hawaii's New Solutionâ€¦Old Buses

by N/A, 10 years ago | 2 min read

If Honolulu-based architecture firmÂ Group 70 InternationalÂ is successful in their planning and raising of funds, Hawaii has agreed to enact their initiative of converting 70 decommissioned buses intoÂ mobile homeless shelters, with several put into use by summer's end.

The vehicles are to operate in fleets, with different units dedicated to different purposes, from sleeping quarters, to showers, to recreation rooms.

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Because the initiative will be relying primarily on volunteers, the entire plan's execution is contingent upon making renovations simple and easy.

May Ry Kim of Group 70 International toldÂ Hawaii NewsÂ that the design â€œis based on the premise that you could walk in to a hardware store, buy everythingÂ you need in one go and build everything with no trade skills."

Should the plan be deemed actionable after being vetted, volunteers will strip buses' interiors, and renovate using donated materials.

Along with serving as sleeping quarters, showering units, and rec rooms, certain buses are also planned to to provide produce and other food.

Despite the current plan being incredibly well-devised, there are still a few aspects that need to be ironed out and made more practical.

However, if Group 70 International is able to recruit enough volunteers and raise the necessary funds, the initiative could prove to be profoundly impactful.

"It's completely organic, and when we started did not even realize number one what a need there was for this, and number two how people can benefit from it...but mostly how many people want to help."