Amarillo explores new solution for homeless in pallet shelter community

At Tuesday’s Amarillo City Council meeting, councilmembers were given an outline of a project with a proposal to create a pallet shelter community, which could serve to get the city’s 368 unsheltered homeless off the streets and get them into a shelter.

Jason Riddlespurger, Amarillo’s director of community development, presented his extensive plan to the city council to create this community, with access to city resources and counseling on-site and the use of these small shelters to serve as temporary housing as its tenants get help in finding long-term housing. He sees this project as a bridge to a long-term solution for the homeless.

In January, the city of Amarillo conducted a point-in-time survey count of area homeless and found that there were 539 total homeless people in the city, 368 of those were without shelter. This survey showed a great need for more areas to shelter those experiencing homelessness.

“We’ve got places for them to go, but we don’t have enough beds and the current situation at some of those shelters is not conducive for them to be there,” Riddlespurger said. “That is why you are seeing a lot of unsheltered folks throughout the city. It is not just in downtown Amarillo; it is all over the city. The big concerning issue is that we do not have enough beds.”

Currently, the city has one daytime shelter, the Guyon Saunders Resource Center, and two nighttime shelters with the Faith City Mission and Salvation Army. Capacity is limited at these locations, and none of these shelters accept pets, which is a deterrent to some homeless people coming to those shelters.

He said the solution the city is looking for is the use of prefabricated units called pallet shelters. Each shelter is equipped with electricity, heating, air conditioning and security. The shelters range in size from 64 square feet to 100 square feet and, depending on size, can accommodate from two to four occupants. These structures will have no plumbing, but community showers and bathroom facilities will be set up to service the residents. The area around the community would be fenced with cameras to provide security for the community it serves.

Drawing on examples of pallet shelter communities that are in use in some cities in California such as Los Angeles, Riddlespurger came away impressed with this type of community as a solution for area homelessness.

“This is a very dignified transitional shelter; it is not meant to be a permanent solution,” Riddlespurger added. "It will be like a gated community where they will live. It will be a good quality place where we, as Amarillo, can be proud to provide a place for people who need it."

Riddlespurger said that these shelters could be quickly put together in less than an hour. He said that each shelter has a 10-year life span and can withstand winds up to 100 mph and 25 lbs of snow load. These shelters can withstand temperatures as low as -40 degrees. Panels of the building are easily replaceable if they become damaged. Each panel can be replaced individually on a unit, and each unit is easy to clean and maintain.

He said that this community will be set up with an ability for people to bring their pets with them if necessary, and it will be close to the new Guyon Saunders Resource Center location.

“With this, we will be able to provide a place where these people are going to be able to stay and get the things done that they need to do so that they can move on to the next level,” Riddlespurger said. "We are going to get them connected to resources like medical and mental health, as well as addiction recovery services.”

A key component for the community Riddlespurger emphasized was the ability to have resource services be able to come to a centralized location to help give needed support. He also stated that although the city will build the facility, it is not looking to run the facility and wants to partner with local nonprofits for staffing and funding. At the council meeting, Riddlespurger stated that maintaining the facility would cost about $1 million a year, and he had multiple nonprofits lined up to work with the community.

“It is much easier to find 160 people if they are all in one place rather than having to look for them all over the city," Riddlespurger added. “This is something that we as the city would like to help in the creation of getting this built. Then we want to find the right agency that is going to partner with us. The city is not going to run this. It is going to be that agency that comes out of the works."

Currently earmarked for the creation of the shelter community is $1.1 million of American Rescue Plan funding for the purchase of pallet shelters. According to Riddlespurger, the cost of the project will likely be between $2 and $3 million. He said his department is looking for about three acres of land and purchasing about 100 shelter units. There will also be an overhead sheltered transitional area that will be used for overflow and a waiting area for units.

Riddlespurger said that his experience in training as a police officer gave him new insight into the plight of the homeless and motivated him to want to seek solutions for the homeless in the city.

“This is the time to do something monumental for your city,” Riddlespurger said. “I shared this with our leaders and others in our community that have the ability to do things. Our leadership is saying, this is the time and they cannot wait to make a change happen.”

For more information on pallet shelters, go to https://palletshelter.com/