Homeless shelters are a type of homeless service agency that will provide temporary residence for all those in need. Shelters exist to provide residents with safety and protection from exposure to the weather while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact on the community, providing respite and services to the residents, and a hygienic bathroom and shower area.

Homeless shelters are a type of homeless service agency that will provide temporary residence for all those in need. Shelters exist to provide residents with safety and protection from exposure to the weather while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact on the community, providing respite and services to the residents, and a hygienic bathroom and shower area.

A microshelter community has opened in Salt Lake City, offering a safe and comfortable home for up to 50 people experiencing homelessness. The facility provides a non-congregate environment, ensuring residents have privacy and dignity.

A California law passed in January allows religious institutions to bypass lengthy review processes and build affordable housing projects on their property, even in areas zoned for single-family homes.

Navigation centers are more inclusive than traditional shelters. They allow people with partners, pets and personal belongings. They also allow people to maintain relationships with people outside the center. Once inside they get intensive case management and connected to health care, substance abuse treatment and benefits. Navigation centers aren’t a solution to homelessness but they’re a step in the right direction. They provide shelter, services and support a pathway to more stable housing.

David Renard, RPM’s President, shares his experiences building homeless navigation centers using Sprung’s tension fabric structures. With low construction costs, limited foundation requirements and the ability to deliver and build faster than conventional builders, Sprung is a viable solution for communities in need of navigation centers. The permanent or temporary shelter structures have bright and welcoming clear-span interiors, while also offering energy-efficient insulation to ensure a comfortable environment and lower overall operating costs.

The world of residential construction is seeing an evolution with the unlocking of using lightweight pre engineered steel applications. RPM Team, a leading provider of turnkey pre-engineered building solutions is taking a commercial approach, using a repeatable, predictable, and manufacturable strategy to deliver efficient, cost-effective homes.

David Renard, RPM’s COO, was asked to share a case study at ULI LA’s Homelessness 3.0 Conference. The case study presented, Stockton Shelter, provides 180 beds in 4,000 square feet on a site with a five-year lease. The short site lease requires the entire project to be moved to a new location when the lease is up, resulting in the need for relocatable structures. The shelter addresses the needs of interim and emergency guests, the chronically unhoused, the recently dispossessed, veterans, seniors, individuals, and families. During the presentation, David, on behalf of RPM, explored every sensitive consideration to ensure the shelter population has been given a pathway to wellness and re-assimilation.

In March of 2024, RPM participated in a think tank session with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who is also slated to become the future chair of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). This critical conversation focused on collaborative efforts to address homelessness in the Phoenix region, specifically exploring successful approaches that can be implemented on a national scale through the USDA and USICH.

Bremerton has contracted with RPM, a firm with expertise in rapidly responding to homelessness issues by creating plans and designing various shelter models for communities across the western United States. For Bremerton, RPM has reviewed local area needs to help understand which type of shelter can best address the impacts of homelessness on the local community.

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RPM Team has successfully managed and implemented homeless navigation centers that have helped thousands of people transition from homelessness to stable housing. We make a point to incorporate principles of trauma-informed design to enhance the experience of the clients, reduce stress, and cultivate an environment of mutual trust and support. We actively embrace input and advice from stakeholders with firsthand lived experience with homelessness to ensure that the final design will enhance the supportive housing program.