Are tiny homes in Redlands a way to address homelessness?
Redlands Mayor Paul Barich is ramping up efforts to provide transitional housing for homeless residents  a move advocates hail as an important first step. At a City Council meeting earlier this month, Barich shared information on fiberglass tiny homes to provide shelter for homeless residents, as well as possible funding sources. Im just tired of everybody talking about We want to do something for the homeless, and we havent started doing anything, Barich told his colleagues at the July 6 meeting. This may not be the answer, but I just wanted to get the ball rolling.  The Redlands City Council on July 6, 2021 discussed a proposal by Mayor Paul Barich to offer a transitional housing facility for homeless residents that could be comprised of fiberglass tiny homes made by SafeHuts. Newport Beach city councilman Marshall Duffy Duffield, who designed the shelters, poses inside one in 2020 in Costa Mesa. (File photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)  Newport Beach city councilman Marshall Duffy Duffield, who designed a fiberglass shelter for homeless residents, poses inside a 60-square-foot single home in 2020 in Costa Mesa. Redlands mayor Paul Barich said the shelters could be a part of a transitional housing facility. (File photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)  This rendering shows what a two-bed SafeHut looks like inside. At a meeting on July 6, 2021, Redlands Mayor Paul Barich suggested the city could use the fiberglass tiny homes as part of a transitional housing shelter for homeless residents. (File art courtesy of SafeHuts)  In the 2020 Point in Time Count, Redlands had 186 homeless residents, the third-highest total for any city in San Bernardino County. No count was conducted in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. David Ellis, director of business development with SafeHuts, offered information on the companys fiberglass tiny houses which are manufactured at the Adelanto factory of Duffy Electric Boats. The units range from a 70-square-foot, single-bed unit to a 120-square-foot, two-bed unit, and include solar power for a light and cellphone/computer charger. Air conditioning and heating can also be hardwired in. The fiberglass construction, Ellis said, makes them indestructible.  One acre of land could accommodate 100 homeless residents in a tiny home village that would include separate restroom and shower facilities. Barich said he was attracted to the tiny home option because it would be easy to sanitize. Councilwoman Jenna Guzman-Lowery, the citys liaison to the countys Interagency Council on Homelessness, and a mental health provider, said the tiny homes would offer more autonomy than many housing options in the county. When you are chronically homeless, and you are experiencing chronic mental illness, the need to have autonomy as a part of that housing is a foundation, she said. Barich said hed like to see a nonprofit run the proposed transitional housing facility instead of the city. Craig Turley, founder and chairman of Redlands Charitable Resources Coalition, and CEO of The Blessing Center in Redlands, said it was too early in the process to detail how a shelter such as Barich wants to explore could be run, but that it was a good first step. For the first time in our citys history we have a mayor that understands the urgent need before us and is ready, willing and able to take the bold steps necessary to finally activate our political and communal will and allocate the needful time, effort and funding to address the need, Turley told the council. Turley noted there is a lot of money that could come from the state for housing solutions. Though the current proposal needs to be fleshed out, he said, at least this gets the topic on the table.  Ed Torres, a board member of Center for Spiritual Living Redlands, told the council several faith-based organizations were willing to help the city. Were not looking for the city of Redlands to just sign a checkbook and have it open and just put in a number and do all the work, Torres said. Were here to work with you as a stakeholder.  He said he was happy to see the council starting to investigate options, but warned you cannot put people in huts and think Oh well, theyre fine now.  Barich said he envisions a centralized location which can also be used to offer food and counseling. Were trying to address as many problems as we can with one proposal, he said. The Rev. Raymond Moorehouse, a street-level chaplain to the citys homeless residents, said he was encouraged by the proposal. Its an important and admirable first step, Moorehouse said, that being said, a first step cannot be an only step.  The crucial question, he added, is will such a facility make it easier to stop being homeless, or will such a facility simply make homelessness a little bit easier to live with for us and for them?  The council unanimously asked staff to begin working on a homeless transitional housing plan which will be brought back in September. With your support, endorsement and vote, Turley said, we could move ahead and finally do what city after city in our state and region is doing: providing a viable, feasible and sustainable solution to the ever-increasing dilemma of people living hard, and hopeless on our streets.