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Photos: Pallet's factory building prefab tiny homes for the homeless - Business Insider

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider
  • Washington-based Pallet is building tiny homes to shelter people who are unhoused.
  • There are about 100 "villages" made of Pallet shelters across the US, housing over 2,000 people.
  • See inside Pallet's factory building about 80 tiny homes a week.

If factories and production lines can mass produce everyday items like smartphones and cars, why can't they be used to rapidly build housing?

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

That's what Washington state-based Pallet — which specializes in building prefab tiny homes — realized in 2016.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

But instead of producing the typical luxury tiny homes that have flooded the real estate market, Pallet is building for those who need it the most: people experiencing homelessness.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

Over the last few years, several tiny home villages designed to shelter unhoused people have popped up across the US from California to Massachusetts.

Pallet tiny home shelter at the the Pallet shelter at Everett Gospel Mission in Washington.
Brittany Chang/Insider

Many of these "village" programs have since been deemed massive successes, pushing more nonprofits and municipalities to explore this nascent but growing housing concept.

rows of Pallet shelters that have been personalized with flowers, decor
The tiny homes at the Chandler Street Tiny Home Village.
Brittany Chang/Insider

And almost all of them are now turning to Pallet.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

The Everett, Washington-based company builds prefabricated units to house people who are unhoused.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

One of the company's biggest advantages is that its products look and operate unlike traditional congregate shelters …

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

… which can often be triggering or traumatic for people who have been living on the streets.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

Instead, the Oregon company currently prefabricates 64- and 100-square-foot tiny homes with lockable front doors …

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

… a community room, an office …

A tiny home shelter at Everett Gospel Mission in Washington.
Brittany Chang/Insider

… and a bathroom with a shower, toilet, and sink.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

And when several of these units are organized together onto one property, they can create a full "tiny home village."

Pallet tiny home shelter at the the Pallet shelter at Everett Gospel Mission in Washington.
Brittany Chang/Insider

Think of these villages as a sort of micro community with resources like social services and medical care.

A tiny home shelter at Everett Gospel Mission in Washington.
Brittany Chang/Insider

The goal is for its occupants to eventually find permanent and stable housing opportunities outside of the Pallet village.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

But before this can begin, the process of building a village — no matter its location — starts in Pallet's office and production facility in Everett, Washington.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

And when it comes to the company's workforce, it's all about practicing what it preaches.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

Over 80% of the employees who work on the manufacturing side were previously unhoused, incarcerated, or experienced substance use disorder, Amy King, Pallet's CEO, told Insider.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

Pallet's joint office and factory space is just under an hour drive from downtown Seattle.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

Pallet moved into its large headquarters about a year ago after it outgrew its roughly 5,000-square-foot manufacturing space just two miles away.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

And despite the recent move, the company is already quickly outgrowing this new factory and office space, it told Insider during a tour of the factory.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

Inside, pieces of aluminum and reinforced plastic composite panels quickly are turned into full tiny homes.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

All of the components are built in-house, from the cutting of the tiny home's panels and aluminum pieces (like the shelf supports and roof trusses) …

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

… to the wiring and assembly of the electrical panels …

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

… and the plumbing of the bathrooms.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

Because all of the homes are prefabricated and follow a preset number of designs, the well-labeled construction process is fairly consistent.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

But that doesn't stop Pallet from being quick to adapt.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

The nearly seven-year-old company is learning as it progresses.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

Pallet often receives live feedback from the municipalities and organizations that have deployed its units, which forces the team to be quick to adapt and implement any necessary changes.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

On average, the factory can pump out about 50 64-square-foot Shelter 64s …

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

… and about 30 to 35 100-square-foot Shelter 100s in one week.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

It also builds a larger 400- to 800-square-foot Community Room.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

But this unit uses the same components as the Shelter 64, easing the construction process.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

The bathroom is then built out in a separate part of the factory.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

Pallet's goal is to turn the raw materials into a finished product in 30 minutes, the company told Insider.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

Right now, this process takes the team about one to three days.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

When the tiny homes are completed, they're flat packed and shipped to their final sites.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

So far, the company has built about 3,500 of these 64-square-foot tiny homes.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

These units can accommodate up to two people or one person with a desk, giving its occupants more privacy compared to the communal congregate shelters.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

Nonprofits or municipalities looking to house families together can instead purchase a four-bed Shelter 100.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

Both models can be assembled on-site in under an hour, while an entire village can be built in a little over a week …

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

Source: Pallet

… a significantly faster timeline compared to building a traditional congregate shelter from the ground up.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

If the home needs to be moved again, it can either be forklifted out in one piece or disassembled in under an hour and flat packed again.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

After delivering the units, Pallet generally is uninvolved in the village.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

But King says the company still wants the sites using its products to meet the company's standards …

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

… and requires the service providers operating Pallet villages to supply "necessary services" like hygiene, food, safety, social services, and access to transportation.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

These services help stabilize its residents in a "sustainable" manner, King said.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

Many unhoused people understandably reject congregate shelters, but demand for these Pallet tiny homes has been red hot.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

Josh Kerns, Pallet's former public relations manager, told Insider in an email that occupancy is "generally pretty close to 100% (anecdotally)."

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

And some of its villages now have a waitlist.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

"Cities trying out this new model [are] getting much higher acceptance rates amongst individuals that are traditionally service adverse and don't want help [in a congregate setting]," King said.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

It's no surprise more cities and counties are eyeing tiny homes as a solution to the ongoing homelessness crisis.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

So far, these Pallet-based villages seem to be doing what the company promises.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

There are now about 100 Pallet villages across the US housing over 2,000 people.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

And these communities have been seeing an average 60% to 90% "placement rate" depending on the site, King says.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

In these success stories, residents stay for an average of three to six months before they find permanent housing, which often includes returning to their families, King said.

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

“We’re trying to put ourselves out of business,” King said. “We want to make sure that we’re helping people truly exit the streets sustainably.”

Inside Pallet's factory to build prefab tiny homes/offices/bathrooms.
Brittany Chang/Insider

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