"Emergency Homeless Shelter" Build

[jwh92020]

My BIL found himself living in the front seat of his truck (not by choice). He has a health issue which requires him to sleep on his back with his feet elevated - not something he can do in the driver's seat. I picked up a 5 x 8 enclosed trailer, and with the support of his family and a large collection of things left over from previous builds, I put together something that he can live in for quite a while if he chooses to. He lives in northern Louisiana where there is not a lot of BLM land, but I did find 4 free campgrounds he can stay in for 14 days at a time. They have restrooms (no showers) and drinking water available. Right now, a contractor he does work for is allowing him to park on a job site, so he has a very short commute and access to shore power. Building this has me thinking about building more of these (on a lesser "amenities" scale if I can figure out how to finance them. Thought some might find it interesting.

 

[skyl4rk]

That is a very nice build, I would live in it. Do you know what the weight is?

I would add a roof vent, although you do have the window and AC as inlets.

 

[jwh92020]

Thank you. The weight is right at 1500 lbs. The trailer weighed 890 before the build.  There wasn't enough room on the roof for a vent due to the solar panel. I used that big panel (250 watt) because I needed at least 170 watts to keep the batteries up and it was free. Free panel vs vent - panel wins.

 

[maki2]

Excellent little home on wheels for a modest budget.

 

[jwh92020]

Thank you. It was the first build I've done on something this small, but it was fun.

 

[MotorVation]

Nice job.  :thumbsup:

 

[RoamerRV428]

Great video and you are very kind and generous making that build to help someone so much. Wonderful job. Ya did great on that!!

If you built more of them even on a bit lesser scale, would it just be for resale, a fast flip kinda situation. Just wondering.

 

[JohnnyM]

Great build !

Well done, sir -- You're a builder after my own heart -- take all that good stuff you've been saving in the garage and put it to work.

You should be proud of this one.

Five stars *****

Johnny

 

[trailer-t]

Nice work! A cargo trailer is a great starting point to get some livable space with some upgrades.
Great use of the available space! t

 

[Riverman]

Looks real good...

I set up a 6x12 cargo trailer and it has plenty of room, and is easy to tow.

I couldn't go any smaller though.

 

[DannyB1954]

I considered making some sleeping pods that could be dropped at locations and then moved when necessary with a small flat bed trailer. Maybe make them out of foam sheets covered in poor man's fiberglass, (canvas, glue and paint). Another design I like is this bicycle trailer You may get an add before the video. I was thinking about making them like a rickshaw so no bike necessary.

The problem I see with cargo trailers is they are expensive and need to be registered. I am not up for donating $4 grand for each homeless person. Tents seem to do them just fine, (I am in the Southwest).

The more that I do for others the less they seem to want to do for themselves. In a way by making them comfortable, one is enabling them to stay as they are.

 

[TMooney]

I couldnt go any smaller than 6x12 either. Well maybe 6x10 if it was a steal but paying market price . 6x12. Then I think a feller might get paid for the work. I dont know about this size but there's lots of places doing them new seems like. BTW very nice job!!!! One thing that concerns me is the weight for this size trailer for resale. The reviews are great on this size for small cars to pull. Just my thoughts. Very sharp trailer . I dont think I would buy black to live in but dam it is pretty.

 

[jwh92020]

Nice job.  :thumbsup:

Thank you

 

[jwh92020]

Great video and you are very kind and generous making that build to help someone so much.  Wonderful job.  Ya did great on that!!

If you built more of them even on a bit lesser scale, would it just be for resale, a fast flip kinda situation.  Just wondering.

Not to flip, but to give to people to have a place to start over from.

 

[jwh92020]

Looks real good... 

I set up a 6x12 cargo trailer and it has plenty of room, and is easy to tow. 

I couldn't go any smaller though.

I wanted a 6 x 12, but folks here in OK want retail $ for used trailers and I just didn't have the budget to buy one. I couldn't even find a 6 x 10 except on a dealer's lot.

 

[TMooney]

Well Bob couldnt find a good cheap used one and so far in AR I havent been able to either. Frustrating. . I look every day.

 

[jwh92020]

This build is a one off build. I got the trailer for a great price from the dealer I buy my conversion trailers from. Being as it was used, I had to take the black color. At 1600 lbs, it's towable by a lot of vehicles. If I build any more, they will be on a Harbor Freight or Northern Tools trailer. Those run $500 - $600. That would be the only way to keep the cost down.