I was reading a story recently about ‘Conestoga’ huts, which a local group in Victoria thinks may be a way to house people who are living on the street. The idea originated in Eugene, Oregon, with Community-Supported Shelters, which describes itself as ‘pre-housing shelter services for people experiencing homelessness.”

This is how they describe their mission. “Rebuilding the lives of unhoused people through intentional community.” The non-profit group, based in Eugene, Oregon, is “leading the way on shelter options for individuals experiencing homelessness. We build sturdy Conestoga Hut shelters that are pleasing to the eye, create caring and collaborative communities, and provide extensive support that empowers clients to stabilize and rebuild their lives.”

The City of Eugene came up with the idea of ‘microsites’ – locations that provide transitional shelter to a small group of unhoused individuals. It is, as the city’s homeless policy analyst Regan Watjus describes it, “from emergency response to community recovery.”