During cold winter days, it’s truly a privilege to be under the shelter of a roof with a heater blasting hot air making us feel cozy and nice. Whether it’s snuggling up with a blanket or enjoying a cup of hot cocoa, it’s hard to neglect the fact that being under a roof is one of the greatest privileges in life. During these moments, we have to recognize that most homeless people are forced to overcome low temperatures for a dangerous amount of hours. However, a city in Germany is fighting to tackle this by introducing emergency pods that can be used to house about two people during cold winter temperatures.
The city of Ulm in southern Germany recently has been carrying out tests on the sleep pods called “nests”. They will be built to provide shelter for the homeless during bad weather. This new innovation is a spaceship-like, solar-powered shelter that unlocks itself in the evenings to provide shelter.
In the United States, the homeless community is faced with many scary realities and little help from the community. As gentrification continues and governments struggle to re-vamp policies made to protect the homeless, there almost seems to be no hope. But, this innovation could change everything. If these pods were installed in common areas, they could provide a lot of support towards tackling the issue of homelessness in America. This will give local governments time to find real solutions to the ever-growing issue of housing.