Apartments made of shipping containers? Turlock OKs controversial plan for homeless
Some of Turlock’s homeless residents would live in small apartments made up of shipping containers under a plan advanced by the City Council.
It voted 3-2 Tuesday night to seek a $9.95 million state grant for the project, in a mostly industrial area on South Walnut Road.
The decision came after two-plus hours of complaints that the site would attract irresponsible tenants. Proponents said it would provide well-supervised, temporary housing for people seeking job training and other services.
The initial plan was for 50 especially snug apartments for veterans and seniors. The council majority favored having fewer, larger units suited to young families.
“... If somebody wants help and if somebody wants a place to live, they need to have that opportunity and we need to be providing it to them,” Councilwoman Rebecca Monez said.
Mayor Amy Bublak and Councilwoman Cassandra Abram joined in the majority. Members Pam Franco and Kevin Bixel were opposed, mainly citing the cost per unit.
The grant would come from the Homekey program, which aims for quick solutions for homeless people. It would be built by Custom Containers 915, which repurposes the steel boxes that ship goods around the world.
The city staff will work with company President John Glavin to refine the application by the April 30 deadline. Homekey typically takes 60 to 90 days to approve each project.
Turlock also would provide 2.5 acres of bare ground just north of its corporation yard, where some city services are headquartered.
‘I think it’s a bad idea’
The opponents include the owner of Kelso’s Auto Dismantling & Towing, which would be next door.
“I’ve had 30 or 40 homeless on that property already that have stolen from me for 20 days straight,” Don Kelso said. “... I think it’s a bad idea.”
He and other critics said most of the would-be residents prefer camping to housing. And they said the state grant would be an unwise use of taxpayer money.
Glavin said the company would start with containers 40 feet long, and wide and tall enough to be basic living quarters. Multiple boxes could be joined for more space.
The units would have up-to-code plumbing, wiring, heating, air conditioning and other systems. They would come with furniture and kitchen equipment.
Glavin said each home would have a pitched roof to soften the look, and the outdoor space would be landscaped. The site would have around-the-clock management and security cameras.
The city staff would choose the residents, who would have to agree to mental health counseling and other services they might need. State rent vouchers would cover operating expenses estimated at $588,500 a year.
Six to nine months for tenants
The project could provide six to nine months of housing for people as they seek jobs and other means to a better life, City Manager Reagan Wilson said.
A total of 221 residents turned up in the latest homeless count for the city, he said. It has a total of 129 overnight shelter beds at Turlock Gospel Misson and the We Care site.
Custom Containers 915’s nearest project is in Merced. It used a Homekey grant of $4.42 million last year for 22 veteran apartments on South R Street near Childs Avenue.
Turlock City Attorney George Petrulakis said he visited the Merced project as part of his research. Such efforts can help cities comply with a federal court ruling that restricted anti-camping ordinances if shelter is lacking, he said.
