Redondo Beach Opens Innovative ‘Pallet Shelters’ for Homeless

TINY BUT MIGHTY: Fourth District L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn with Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand surveying pallet houses for the homeless. The houses are 8 x 8  foot and can accommodate one or two people inside, with drop down beds, power outlets, heaters, and personal locked storage areas.

By Brian Hews and Tammye McDuff • December 30, 2020

Two weeks ago, L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn shared photos that showed her and Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand touring pallet houses for the homeless located on a city yard on Kingsdale near the South Bay Galleria.

Pallet houses are eight by eight foot shelters that can accommodate one or two people inside, with drop down beds, power outlets, heaters, and personal locked storage areas.

Best of all, each house costs only $4,900.

“I joined Mayor Bill Brand in Redondo Beach, where new pallet shelters have been installed in record time.  The project broke ground on November 23, and we will have people moving in before the end of the year,” stated Hahn.

The site has 24/7 security and offers three meals a day for residents.  Harbor Interfaith Services will interact with residents providing mental health services and substance abuse and medical treatment while working with each person to find permanent housing.

This past Monday, December 28, during Southern California’s worst rain storm to date this year, people began to move into the shelters.

Supervisor Hahn and Mayor Brand checking out the inside of a home.

The pallet house idea is the brain child of Brady King, a graduate of Redondo Union High School. The tiny aluminum cabins were originally designed as temporary after Hurricane Katrina.

The shelters are designed to be stored flat,  “it is meant to be palletized,” King said, “so you can get as many flat packs on a pallet as possible.”

The Redondo Beach project is paid for by funds from the CARES Act with another $409,000 from  Homeless and Housing Program funds, and an additional $300,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds will cover operational costs.

The pallet shelters will remain in place for a period of six months, when the City Council will reevaluate the program.

“These Pallet shelters are a creative, affordable, and– most importantly– quick solution to get roofs over peoples’ heads. This entire project took just weeks to get up and running after we broke ground in November. I appreciate Redondo Beach for taking this project on.  They showed what was possible and I know that cities across the South Bay are watching closely.  I have always said that if a city steps up and wants to build a shelter or supportive housing, I will help them find the funding to get it done.  That is what I did here, and the same promise goes to any city in my district.”