The Revive 66 Campground in Springfield, Missouri, recently received $60,000 from the city so it can acquire 10 more teardrop trailers to help house the homeless.
The funding was part of $95,000 in city emergency funds for overnight cold-weather sheltering. The 10 additional trailers at the campground will be supplied for a 10-year period.
According to KY3 in Springfield:
That $60,000, the majority of the money, is being used to purchase “tiny trailers” at a new campground that organizers hope to have open by early next month. Located on West Chestnut Expressway, Revive 66 will have a Route 66 theme with vintage cars and signs decorating its fenced-in lot.
The teardrop campers, just big enough for a bed, can be rented for $10 by homeless people to stay overnight, although officials are hoping that the $10 fee will actually be covered by donations from area businesses or individuals.
“These (campers) are all solar powered. They have cell phone chargers,” said Nate Schlueter, the Chief Visionary Officer for the Gathering Tree, the non-profit organization in charge of the campground. “We’ll be showing movies at 8 o’clock every night projecting them off the storm shelter where we can really build (a sense of) community for the hours that you’re here.” […]
Through private donations the eventual goal is to have over 50 trailers available. There were just 12 on order until the city kicked in $60,000 to add 10 more.
The Gathering Tree, a nonprofit organization that runs Eden Village tiny home communities for the homeless in Springfield, opened the campground at 3839 W. Chesnut Expressway (aka Route 66) in December.
As previously reported, even the non-homeless can rent one of the trailers if they follow campground rules, which includes quiet time starting at 10 p.m.
If you want to help the people keep the campground going, the nonprofit is selling Route 66-related merchandise on its website here.
(Screen-capture image from OzarksFirst.com of teardrop trailers at the Revive 66 Campground in Springfield, Missouri)
If the past is prologue this will end in disaster. How much can you get for a stolen solar phone charger?
They would help best if there were free laundry and bathroom/shower facilities, along with usb charge ports, in random locations throughout.
If they built sheds from lowes for $1000, and modeled the inside really simple and robust for $1000, they could have tiny homes for MUCH less that are much better. Not sure if the trailer/camping element is required to meet code, but if city is supporting this movement, they can adjust code to make it economical. Just my opinion.