Mike Owen may have found a potential solution to the homelessness problem in the Lower Mainland.
The Ladner businessman and his construction team are putting the finishing touches on a shipping container home. As part of his Ladner Reach marina on River Road West, Owen owns and operates a storage container facility.
“We had a container that came back from a movie rental and the whole side was gone. I thought, ‘What could I do with it?’” Owen recalled. “I saw a program on TV about how they were struggling with homeless people in Maple Ridge and Abbotsford — I even went to Maple Ridge and I saw all the tents and thought what a mess. Because our office is in a container, I thought let’s try this and see what we can do.”
With his brother being a bit of a designer and his wife’s knack as an interior decorator, Owen thought they had the makings of a good team.
They stripped the eight-foot-by-40-foot standard shipping container, pressure washed it, cleaned it and reached out to tradespeople in South Delta.
“We went to our guy who supplies windows and we custom made them and filled in the seams with Global Containers who did some welding,” he said. “A local plumber, a guy we use a lot in the marina, came and plumbed it, we had an electrical guy in and installed a kitchen, a bathroom with a shower and a sleeping area.”
Owen’s wife added furniture and other aesthetic touches. Between that and after paying all the trades, Owen figures the whole unit will cost between $40,000 and $45,000.
“What I want to do is invite some folks from BC Housing and some of the other politicians from the communities that are struggling and show them this deluxe model and some smaller models.
“The smaller units would be just big enough for say a person’s shopping cart for their belongings and a bed. A lot of the shelters and care homes don’t allow those things, so I thought maybe with a 53-foot container you would have four 13-foot units and have a couple of bunk beds. You could also look at putting a communal washroom in the centre.”
As for the deluxe model, Owen plans to use it as a prototype to take it to city councils for presentations.
“Along with this I would provide other pictures and samples of the other units and examples of the workmanship that we can do,” he said. “They are very mobile and easy to move. We can customize this to a lower cost with salvage material, while also ensuring that it is safe and secure.
“We started with floating homes and we have a nice community here so we understand some of the nuances. I don’t have a lot of experience with homeless people, but we have been working a bit with (Rev.) Jim Short at Ladner United (Church). We’re just trying to see if there is a need. Every municipality is facing an issue.”
