Futuristic sleeping pods for homeless people installed in German city

[Demovictory9]

Futuristic sleeping pods for homeless people installed in German city
Tests are underway to if the pods protect against frostbite. If so, they could be rolled out across Germany

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/homeless-sleeping-pods-germany-ulm-b1791217.html



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Windproof and waterproof sleep pods have been installed in the streets of a German city in order to house the homeless.

The wood and steel cabins, which can fit up to two people, protect against the cold, wind, and humidity. They also guarantee fresh air circulation.

The pods were introduced to the city of Ulm, 75 miles west of Munich, on 8 January in parks and at other places where homeless people sleep, a city spokesman said.


To ensure privacy, there are no cameras in the pods, but the opening of the doors triggers a motion sensor which alerts social workers who check the pod following its use to ensure that it can be cleaned, and also to provide assistance to anyone using the unique form of accommodation.

The capsules are also equipped with solar panels, and are connected to a radio network, allowing occupants to communicate without dependency of mobile networks.

[soothsayer]

1. Neat

[Pantagruel]

2. A human dog house

better than zero I suppose.

[Bucky]

4. It'll do, once we've fully given up on helping our fellow human beings to thrive in life.

Humane and damning at the same time.

[Demovictory9]

11. its' to keep people from frostbite

[csziggy]

12. The article says it signals social workers

"the opening of the doors triggers a motion sensor which alerts social workers who check the pod following its use to ensure that it can be cleaned, and also to provide assistance to anyone using the unique form of accommodation"

Presumably this allows social workers to attempt to provide help. I don't know much about the subject of homelessness, but my understanding is that some won't go to shelters because of the rules, and don't have ways to access assistance. Perhaps this is a way to provide temporary shelter and giving a contact location to start the process of getting assistance to them.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

14. It beats a cardboard box. I don't remember having a tricycle, but I had a bicycle before a car.

[panader0]

23. When I was much younger I hopped freight trains from Salem, Ore to Seattle. With friends for fun.

We saw the occasional hobos and winos. One guy was especially happy about his
large cardboard refrigerator box. Boxcars in the Northwest get cold at night.

[Demovictory9]

10. its for those who don't want to frequent the shelters or have pets article says

[Warpy]

15. It's a start and beat sleeping rough in the winter

We can't do even that much in the US. Plutocrats have starved government for the last 50 years and it shows.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

3. Now start a competition amongst engineering students to improve on the idea.

[brush]

5. Yep. What to do about having to take a leak at night?

[Hermit-The-Prog]

6. Pretty sure the homeless figure that one out. I'm not an engineer, but ...

I was thinking of the complexity of the framework inside. More time and money spent making one means fewer of them to go around. More complexity means more maintenance. More spent on the frame means less spent on insulating, comfort, communication.

[brush]

9. Good thoughts. Insulation from the cold should be a priority.

The good ol' gallon jug will have to do I guess.

[SunSeeker]

7. Have you ever noticed those empty bottles filled with yellow liquid along the side of the road?

They're pee bottles. Truckers throw them out the window. It's a pretty old idea.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

27. Pee bottles aren't as easy for women to use.

And there are plenty of females who are homeless.

[SunSeeker]

30. Depends on how wide the mouth of the bottle is.

Homeless women usually have that figured out. Although some on this thread are mocking these capsule houses, they could mean the difference between life and death. This is particularly true for homeless women, who are repeatedly sexually assaulted living on the streets. Just being able to enclose themselves in a secure capsule can mean they will live to see the morning.

[RichardRay]

8. Pee bottle

I’ve done it many times when I lived a van for four years. Tight lid recommended.

[Mr.Bill]

20. A few port-a-potties nearby would work. n/t

[hunter]

13. My rock bottom of life I was living in the garden shed...

... of a crazy Vietnam war vet who was himself living in his dead mother's house.

It was better for me than living in my car in a church parking lot.

I was really angry at the world then and didn't feel like I could go home.

[TygrBright]

16. Gives new meaning to the phrase "pod people".

Honestly, I'm ambivalent.

It's better than letting people freeze, but WHY can't we provide actual housing, jobs, medical care, and other services for everyone?

wearily,
Bright

[Duppers]

25. "Why?"

Republicans. But you knew that.

These pod wouldn't cost much but would save lives.

[twin_ghost]

17. how much do they cost? n/t

[WhiskeyGrinder]

18. Why not just give people houses or apartments?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

28. Lots of reasons why we don't just give people houses or apartments.

First off, is lack of availability. Second is that chronically homeless people are both clueless about a lot of the basics of living in and maintaining any kind of living space, and a lot of them are outright destructive of such places.

One solution would be that everyone provided with housing be required to put in a few hours every week doing maintenance or some such. They need to have a degree of ownership in their place.

I've been doing volunteer work at a local homeless shelter for about ten years now, and know all too well that just giving them houses or apartments isn't as simple a solution as it might sound. A lot of homeless people have drug or alcohol problems, and separate from that many of them are mentally ill. There does need to be a much greater commitment to providing them with shelter, and these pods strike me as a decent start.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

29. .

First off, is lack of availability.

There are 1.5 million abandoned homes in the U.S., and about half a million people living without houses.

Second is that chronically homeless people are both clueless about a lot of the basics of living in and maintaining any kind of living space, and a lot of them are outright destructive of such places.

Housing + services makes a big difference in that issue. "Clueless" is a pretty strong word, especially since most of the chronically homeless are also dealing with addiction, mental illness or both.

One solution would be that everyone provided with housing be required to put in a few hours every week doing maintenance or some such. They need to have a degree of ownership in their place.

How does this work if, as you say, they're "clueless" about the basics of maintenance?

I've been doing volunteer work at a local homeless shelter for about ten years now, and know all too well that just giving them houses or apartments isn't as simple a solution as it might sound.A lot of homeless people have drug or alcohol problems, and separate from that many of them are mentally ill. There does need to be a much greater commitment to providing them with shelter, and these pods strike me as a decent start.

So as I say, add services, instead of cutting back on size.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

31. How many of those abandoned homes are actually habitable?

And somewhat more to the point, how many of them can be immediately turned over to someone else? The legal system takes time.

Yes, if there are services, that makes a huge difference. But I will stand by my use of "clueless", especially, as we both pointed out, many of the homeless are dealing with addiction and/or mental illness. Having a requirement to help out would help them learn about how to maintain a space. My local paper had an interesting article about a year or so ago about chronically homeless, and profiled some of them who simply could not keep an apartment to a realistic level of cleanliness and were constantly threatened with eviction.

While larger living quarters are clearly desirable, the pods are better than sleeping on a park bench. It's a start. And notice I am advocating for a greater commitment to providing shelter for the homeless.

Another huge problem is NIMBY, Not In My Back Yard. The homeless shelter I volunteer at has businesses and residential units adjacent to it. They have a lot of valid complaints about human excrement, trash, and people just hanging out 24/7. It's a huge problem. The nearby residents would love to have the shelter relocated to the farthest reaches of the city, which would mean hardly anyone would be able to get there, especially given the dearth of bus service in this city.

There are no easy or simple solutions. But I do wish that everyone here who ever pontificates about how to solve the homeless problem would volunteer for a few weeks at a homeless shelter. Heck, I may start aggressively asking that question in the future.

[Bayard]

19. Commendable

I would be concerned about safety of occupants if they can be opened from outside.

[Mr.Bill]

21. If you put those out in San Francisco

the inside of them would smell like a bong in the morning.

[Goodheart]

22. I have a teardrop camper that's not much bigger than that.

[BobTheSubgenius]

24. They appear to be a good concept well-executed.

Hard to tell from small pictures, of course, but that's how they look. I wonder what the cost is like.

I think the characterization of them as an "emergency last resort" is a bit amiss though. For that, I would refer them to the National Guard in DC and encourage them to find out what "last resort" means. Sleeping on the ground in a place where the climate can literally kill you comes to mind.

If only someone was providing these things for those put-upon peacekeepers.

[Lovegan]

26. L.A. has been trying something similar with extra-tiny homes

From this:

L.A. Officials Impound $1200 Tiny Houses Donated to the Homeless
https://www.treehugger.com/la-officials-impound-tiny-houses-donated-homeless-4866125


To this:

$130,000 for an 8-foot-by-8-foot shed? That’s what L.A. is paying in a bid to house the homeless
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-12-12/los-angeles-tiny-homes-homeless


I hope they get their act together and don't waste money like it seems.

[TexasBushwhacker]

32. I still think these folks have the best idea overall

They're in Austin.

https://mlf.org/community-first/