Sustainable Housing Units (SHUs) - Portable Homes for All

Homelessness, rampant within Tompkins county and across the country, sparked our talented and diverse group of engineers to begin designing a tiny home that can be transported by car. This idea, the SHU, will act as a sustainable and inexpensive source of housing for individuals facing homelessness. This independence allows for individuals to travel with their homes, find stable work, have basic utilities, and save money up for a future home or apartment. As these homes are temporary, they will allow the homeless individual to jumpstart their lives for the better. We are currently engineering the home, assessing cost, and establishing construction documents for the future build!                             

 The Problem

Across the United States, homelessness is prevalent and rising each year. As of 2018, over 550,000 Americans experience homelessness on a single night, and more than 1.4 million will spend time in a shelter in a given year. These numbers don’t even include those who are unsheltered. These statistics are a symptom of high living costs, unstable income, and unsafe affordable housing, and now more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. As individuals are evicted out of their homes and forced to sleep unsheltered, these numbers will sadly continue to grow. In New York State alone, more than 90,000 people are homeless, leaving thousands suffering during freezing winters and sweltering summers. As undergraduate students of Cornell University, we must acknowledge this issue and utilize our standing to combat this problem. Through small, mobile, affordable housing, we can take a small step to fight homelessness. 

Our Solution

The SHU concept came about when the Domestic sub-team of Engineers Without Borders: Cornell Chapter was in search of an impactful project to help both our local communities and those across the globe. As homelessness is rampant within Tompkins county the country, our talented and diverse group of engineers was motivated to begin designing a tiny home that can be transported by car. This independence allows for individuals to travel with their homes, find stable work, have basic utilities, and save money up for a future home or apartment. As these homes are temporary for individuals, it will allow the homeless individual to jumpstart their lives for the better.

How You Can Help

Your support will help our project become a reality. Members of EWB will have the opportunity to nurture their creative and technical expertise by designing and implementing a tiny home that is both replicable and able to act as housing for those in need across New York State and across the country. We have already begun collaborating with communities, such as the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, to implement this project as a long-lasting housing solution. Only with your help, we can make this a reality.

Who We Are

Engineers Without Borders - Cornell is a group of passionate and highly motivated students who work to create long-lasting solutions to problems in international communities. Members are given the opportunity to nurture their creative and technical expertise by designing and implementing sustainable engineering projects. Through collaboration with communities in developing countries around the world, our members are exposed to diverse cultures while gaining academic experience outside of the classroom environment.

Your support will help our team cover the costs for this project. 100% of the funds from this crowdfunding campaign will go towards designing and building the SHU.