In Orange County, California, a community nonprofit is using shipping containers to create quick, low-cost housing for homeless veterans. The 16-unit, two-story apartment community will be the state’s first to be manufactured from shipping containers.
The community, called Potter’s Lane, is in Midway City and is the brainchild of American Family Housing, a nonprofit that serves the homeless. Orange County’s homeless population has grown from less than 13,000 to more than 15,000 in two years. The nonprofit hopes to inspire others to build these low-cost communities, since the two ports in Los Angeles provide ample supply of the raw materials.
The Potter’s Lane units are under construction—about a three-month process—and the community is scheduled to open in January. American Family Housing is working with GrowthPoint Structures, which “has obtained approval of its modular system for multifamily construction from the California Department of Housing and Community Development,” according to the Los Angeles Times. This approval allows GrowthPoint to skip local building official review.
Each 480-square-foot unit is manufactured from three shipping containers and has a wood-and-glass facade. The community will also include a common area and offices for staff to provide resident support.