Campbell River team designs portable shelters, item carriers for homeless
CTV
Advocates for the homeless in Campbell River, B.C., are rolling out what they hope will be a major assistance to the city’s vulnerable population: "Angel pods."
"A lot of people struggle to carry all of their things around during the day and so we wanted to create an alternative to the shopping cart that’s lockable so people could have their things with them," says Sharon Karsten, project coordinator for the group Walk With Me.
A portable shelter and item carrier, sometimes dubbed an "angel pod" is shown. (CTV News)
Karsten was part of a team that designed a portable shelter that can carry items during the day, and then be slept in at night, as opposed to being in tents.
"When people are sleeping there were things being thrown at people, snow load, etc., where the tents weren’t cutting it," she says. "Just in conversation we came up with the idea for a Turtle Hut or an Angel Pod, we have many names for this thing now."
Shawn Decaire is the manager of Kwesa Place, a facility that offers warming, shower, and laundry services for the city’s at-risk population during the day. He was also one of the designers of the pods.
"The first prototype that was built actually was built out of marine-grade plywood with fireproof insulation inside," he says. "With that and with the air vents in there so you’re not going to suffocate."
A portable shelter and item carrier, sometimes dubbed an "angel pod" is shown. (CTV News)
The idea is to provide portability for those who are forced to pack up and move their belongings each morning.
