In a continued effort to address homelessness in Phoenix, Arizona, the city has turned to shipping containers.
Earlier this year, the City of Phoenix opened the Phoenix Navigation Center, or what architect Brian Stark calls X-WING.
It opens up 80 beds to people experiencing homelessness in an especially crucial time, as more and more people need access to cool, safe indoor spaces in summer weather.
“We’re committed to helping individuals who want to end their homelessness, and this center will navigate them to the right path,” Mayor Kate Gallego said in a statement.
“Aside from sheltering them from the upcoming heat, the center will provide opportunities for employment, mental and physical health care, and case management to keep them on track.”
Shipping container housing is not a new concept, but it is one Stark is eager to improve upon. His buildings are already abundant across Phoenix, but now, they represent a sustainable solution to the housing crisis.
“We’re not consuming or producing that steel, it already exists,” Stark told CBS News. “There’s a huge ability to save. And that’s how I think we have to start thinking that way, is using what we have versus just keep on consuming.”
Stark’s architecture firm, Steel + Spark, designed X-Wing with the needs of residents in mind.
It consists of four 40-foot steel converted shipping containers that are placed in the shape of an ‘X,’ converging in the middle. Each container can sleep up to 20 people in private 5-by-8-foot rooms (with one resident per room), and they all offer central air conditioning powered by solar energy.
On the Phoenix property, there are two of these X-shaped facilities side-by-side, made of eight total shipping containers.
The buildings maintain their rustic appearance, with dark orange siding and steel details, but are topped with sleek solar panels. Combined with the X-shaped aerial view, the housing looks like something Wolverine might stay in on the set of a Marvel movie.
But the shape of the buildings isn’t just for looks. It also creates natural courtyards for residents when placed beside another unit, giving people a desirable place to stay and the city a quick and simple solution.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to help serve those experiencing homelessness through our partnership with the City of Phoenix,” Kathleen Santin, partner at Steel + Spark, said in a press release.
“The X-WING is a dignified, non-congregate housing solution. Solar powered by day, battery-powered at night, the X-WING is quick to market and delivered assembled.”
Indeed, the units only take one week to construct, offering a speedy option for a mounting crisis.
“We are continuously working to develop innovative solutions to end homelessness and create paths to permanent housing,” Mayor Gallego added. “Our partnership with Steel + Spark is a great example of that, and directly speaks to how the public and private sectors can work together to make an impact.”
St. Vincent de Paul and Community Bridges, Inc. will offer wrap-around services for residents at the facility. Guests who stay there must be referred to the shelter, which has 24/7 security.
The facility also includes shared restrooms, showers, and laundry services, as well as support like workforce development, life skills programming, companion animal services, and case management to help people end their homelessness for good.
“Solving homelessness takes a community effort, creativity, and a willingness to try new solutions," said St. Vincent de Paul chief program officer Jessica Berg.
“We continue to be grateful for the support from [our partners] and all community members who make our life-saving shelter and rehousing work possible.”
That work has made a world of difference for Jay Spicer, a resident who lives in an X-WING room with his dog, Dino. He qualified to stay in the new temporary shelter by staying sober for eight months and maintaining a job as a forklift operator.
“It is my space for now,” Spicer told CBS News. “We keep the door shut, it stays nice and cool in here.”
Extreme heat demands more indoor emergency shelters for people experiencing homelessness, Phoenix Vice Mayor Tassamin Ansari said.
“Placing the X-WING air-cooled containers, which accommodate singles and couples, for immediate use at a shelter with wraparound services will be critical in the city’s efforts to achieve more permanent housing exits,” Ansarai continued.
The success of this project has empowered Stark to continue using his shipping container designs for affordable housing. His firm is now working on a 105-unit apartment complex for unhoused or low-income senior citizens — also made out of shipping containers.
“It’s great talking to people who are living in the X-WING that say, ‘I can hear myself think for the first time, and I’m improving my life,’” Stark said.
“To be part of the solution is great, it's unbelievable.”
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Header image courtesy of the City of Phoenix
