The California city of Oakland, like many places across the country, is attempting to tackle homelessness. And to do so, it’s turning to a company in Denver.
Oakland, on the east side of the San Francisco Bay, built by Denver-based Tuff Shed. The units have been adapted into homes for the homeless.
“We’re delighted that our buildings can help,” said Phil Worth, Tuff Shed’s vice president of marketing. “Homelessness is a serious problem in the United States, and if our buildings can help be part of the solution and give people that are experiencing homelessness a lit bit more dignity, … I think that’s great.”
The sheds aren’t luxurious, but their 120 square feet offer people a roof and a locked door. The city also provided cots and retrofitted the buildings with electricity to power a light and charge cellphones.
Worth said the sheds don’t have much interior work, but their structures are solid, making them easily adaptable for such use.
A handful of cities have used Tuff Shed to help address homelessness, he said. Village of Hope in Fresno, Calif., was the first — in 2004.
Worth said organizations normally come to them for the sheds instead of the other way around. But a Tuff Shed employee in Los Angeles reached out to local city government offering the company’s units as a possible option there, Worth said.
Tuff Shed has experienced a boost in sales recently as customers use its structures for tiny homes and custom backyard working and living spaces.
