Hvgz Portable Homeless Shelters is a nonprofit organization based in Washington State staffed by volunteers who help the homeless in their communities. Many of the volunteers who work for the organization used to be homeless themselves.
Jerad Nichols was inspired to create the shelters last year after he saw some stationary shelters. The group has created seven portable shelters so far. Nichols was homeless as a teenager.
The shelters are made from fiberglass and wood. They have windows and storage space inside and wheels to make them portable. The shelters cost about $350 each to construct. They are funded through donations made through a GoFundMe account. The group provides portable shelters to homeless people in Vancouver, Washington.
Hvgz Portable Homeless Shelters hopes to expand in the near future. They would like to secure grants to help with fundraising efforts so they can purchase three to five acres of land on the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington. They would like to set up 20 mini homes on the property and create a workshop to employ people they help and build more shelters to help others who are currently homeless.
The group would also like to create a community room to teach people off-grid, minimalist survival techniques that they can use in their everyday lives. The volunteers would like to generate wind and solar power so that the community could be self-sufficient and productive.
Hvgz Portable Homeless Shelters would like to expand its operations to include Oregon, California, Hawaii, and Alaska within five years. They hope that by that time every person on the Long Beach Peninsula who is currently homeless will have a home or portable shelter. The group would like to be helping people on a national scale in the next decade.