Living in Storage Units Beats Life on the Streets, But That's Not Saying Much

What if instead of an economical way to clear clutter from your home, inexpensive storage units offered an alternative to living on the streets? For many people who are without a home, renting a public storage unit can provide them with a relatively safe, private and affordable shelter, especially when faced with the limitations and risks of overcrowded shelters or the streets.

Lacking running water, proper insulation and a variety of other hospitable amenities, the cramped quarters are far from ideal living conditions, not to mention illegal.  But could the DIY domiciles serve as a blueprint for low-cost, temporary non-shelter housing that maintain the privacy and safety of the storage units, while providing the amenities of an apartment?

Living in the containers is, of course, not permitted by the storage companies, forcing occupants to develop stealth tactics or perhaps encounter a sympathetic employee willing to look the other way.  But hiding in the shadows fearing discovery robs those individuals of a dignity they deserve. While they may be able to avoid some of the dangers of the outside world, without plumbing, heating, proper ventilation or safety codes, the containers present their own health hazards. As Joel John Roberts, CEO of PATH Partners (People Assisting The Homeless), explains on Poverty Insights: "We need creative low-cost dignified housing so homeless people do not have to scamper into secret hiding places."

He writes about Sarah, a woman over 60 who has lived for the past two years in a storage unit in Los Angeles. Her air mattress is next to a full-size refrigerator covered in family photos. Tell the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to help find safe, affordable alternatives to storage units.

Storage units may not be designed for living, but many non-profits are developing other innovative ways to use containers and other storage facilities to help homeless individuals and families. The Clothing Closet in Merced, California, utilizes a large storage unit to provide thousands of pounds of free clothing, and sometimes fresh produce, to the poor and homeless in the region. In Texas, the Greater Houston Builders Association donated a 600-square-foot storage building to two youth shelters, providing much-needed space to keep clothing and other items for the kids. And the Housing Bureau of Portland, Oregon, will soon use an empty building as a temporary storage facility for homeless individuals to leave their belongings during the day.

Making use of donated containers for temporarily storing personal possessions makes sense, but no one should have to live in them. Perhaps designers could collaborate with homeless advocates to develop some variation of temporary transitional housing based on storage units, which keep building costs low, while offering a dignified, safe and private alternative to the streets and shelters. But in the meantime local officials and non-profits should partner up to help find some other form of temporary shelter or affordable housing to those individuals and families who are currently residing in storage units.

Photo credit: Sharat Ganapati