Behind the Scenes Interview: Riverside Shelter Community

Earlier this year, the City of Riverside, CA, faced an urgent crisis – as of January 2020, more than 400 people were living unsheltered in the city. Elected leaders were working on plans to expand its shelter capacity beyond the 180 beds they had at that point in time, but were also seeking a rapid and emergency shelter solution for its residents facing homelessness.

Handling the situation like a crisis, Riverside leaders moved quickly to build an emergency shelter community with Pallet’s personal shelters. In just four days, the Riverside community transformed a parking lot into an emergency shelter community with 30 shelters, providing a stepping stone out of homelessness and into stability.

Our team followed up with the Hafsa Kaka from the City of Riverside, Matt Bates from the nonprofit services provider City Net, and Charly Ligety from the Housing Innovation Collaborative to discuss how the shelter community came together behind the scenes.

Riverside Shelter Community Features:

The shelter site offers residents amenities from personal, secure shelter to 24-hour on site security and site management.

• 30 personal shelters with heat and air conditioning

• Electricity and LED lighting

• Mattresses and bedding

• Storage space

• Pet-friendly

• Toilets and showers

• 24-hour management

• Security on site

Learn more about this shelter community →

Download the Case Study

Learn how Riverside, California transformed an underutilized parking lot into a shelter community in just four days by downloading the comprehensive case study for this site location.