Hawaii-based architectural firm Group 70 International is looking to convert old city buses into homeless shelters in an effort to combat homelessness on the island of Oahu.
The idea is to renovate buses no longer used by the city to provide shelter, recreation and showers for the homeless population in Honolulu. The buses are still drivable and have been retired due to high mileage.
The city has agreed to donate 70 buses for the project. May Ry Kim of Group 70 told Hawaii News Now, “the idea is to convert them into living, sleeping, showering, recreational facilities.”
Labor to actually do the work will be on a volunteer basis using donated materials. Kim said: “The entire design is based on the premise that you could walk in to a hardware store, buy everything you need in one go and build everything with no trade skills.”
Kim hopes to finish the first two buses by this summer and the first five done by the end of the year.
