As displacement reaches unprecedented levels, it’s time to shift from the status quo and invest in models like Pallet that are intentionally designed to address this crisis.

With the number of people displaced by natural disasters and homelessness growing year after year, this crisis has reached historic levels. A 2022 survey found that 3 million Americans were forced from their homes due to natural disasters over the course of a year, while HUD’s 2024 PIT Count shows an unprecedented 18% increase in domestic homelessness. 

Current solutions are not adequate to address the diverse and evolving needs of these populations, whether displacement is caused by climate-related events, the lack of affordable housing supply, or myriad other reasons. It’s time to reexamine shelter options that offer efficiency, long-term cost savings, and intentional design to solve for the crisis at hand. 

Intentional Design, Proven Effectiveness

The disadvantages associated with conventional shelter models, from mass congregate settings to temporarily utilizing hotels and apartment buildings, demand alternative approaches that can provide a sense of stability and dignity. Many of these inadequacies stem from the fact that they are not designed to meet the varied needs of displaced residents following an emergency. 

Traditional congregate shelter offers the ability to rapidly shelter a large amount of people under one roof, but its efficacy is limited to a short period of time following a natural disaster due to a lack of privacy and anxieties surrounding health and public safety. This approach also has demonstrated shortcomings for individuals experiencing homelessness. In some situations, unsheltered people are reluctant to accept a bed in a nightly congregate shelter due to safety concerns—particularly those who have lived through trauma such as domestic violence or discrimination. 

In recent years following the COVID-19 pandemic, communities have turned to non-congregate models. Often, this means repurposing hotels and apartment buildings to use as temporary emergency shelter. Studies have shown that these models often lead to higher acceptance rates and satisfaction from people who have stayed at congregate shelters, but over time, operating costs can become exorbitant. For example, after the devastating Lahaina wildfires on Maui in August 2023, it was found that over 2,500 displaced Hawaiians were put up in hotels that cost taxpayers up to $1,175 per night. 

Pallet’s innovative panelized shelter design and site model solves these issues. Not only do we use a trauma-informed approach to create our shelters, but sites are operated with the goal of providing residents with the onsite supportive services needed to build—or rebuild—their futures. Families, couples, and individuals with pets are allowed to stay together in the privacy of their own personal unit. And because Pallet shelters are durable and reusable for 15+ years, they offer communities long-term cost savings and can be easily disassembled and redeployed as needed.  

Versatility and Rapid-Response Capabilities

In densely populated areas with ongoing unsheltered homelessness crises, unexpected emergencies (like an extreme weather event) can compound preexisting housing shortages. Those experiencing homelessness could be pushed out of hotels or other temporary stays to accommodate people who have lost their homes. In these situations, such as the prolonged cleanup of the Los Angeles wildfires due to health and safety concerns, a Pallet site could be rapidly developed to accommodate displaced residents while eliminating the need to force underserved populations out of shelter and onto the streets.  

When compared to the noted high price and infrastructure needs of FEMA trailers, not to mention their steep depreciation and inability to efficiently store them after use, Pallet is an economical and adaptable choice for non-congregate emergency shelter. With minimal site preparation requirements and low ongoing operational costs, all that’s needed to set up a Pallet shelter site is a flat plot of land and standard utility hookups for electricity and communal hygiene facilities. 

Improving Solutions to the Displacement Crisis

We know that current offerings for emergency shelter are limited and insufficient. It’s time to invest in innovative models like Pallet, which can be easily adapted to the various and evolving needs of communities in crisis. 

By more effectively allocating funding and resources to non-congregate shelter models, communities can offer the stability needed for displaced residents to transition to permanent housing—all while building resilience and improving responsiveness to future emergencies.

The human displacement crisis in the U.S. has never been more severe. Heading into 2025, the Pallet team is more driven than ever to create positive, lasting change.

As we plan for the year ahead, the Pallet team is motivated to continue our mission to provide shelter for displaced populations. And with recent data showing escalating numbers of people impacted by this crisis, we’re aware that the need for safe, stable spaces is more critical now than ever.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 2024 Point-in-Time Count reported that 770,000 people across the U.S. experienced homelessness on a single night in January. Not only does this represent a troubling 18% rise in homelessness from the previous year’s statistics, but we know that the difficulties associated with collecting this data means this number is likely much higher in reality.

In addition to the historic numbers of people experiencing domestic homelessness, a swath of devastating climate-related events also contributed to an immense rise of people displaced by natural disasters across the country. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, from 1980 up to 2024, the average number of disasters per year causing $1 billion of damage or more was nine; 27 such events occurred last year. Hurricane Helene, which struck Florida’s Big Bend region back in September, caused $79.6 billion in damage and 219 recorded deaths alone.

Until every person has a place to call home, we will continue our fight in addressing the human displacement crisis. This scope of work is broad, but there are several specific strategies Pallet is implementing in 2025 on federal, state, and local levels.

Shifts in the Federal Administration

As President Trump takes office for a second term, changes in leadership and priorities for the country follow closely behind. Newly appointed officials and leaders will affect national strategies to address homelessness as well as disaster preparedness and response.

This means the Pallet Government Affairs team will be visiting DC in the next several weeks to meet with elected officials and their staff, ready to share Pallet’s vision, product offerings, and plans to effectively integrate our model into federal strategies.

We are looking forward to the official confirmations of the new heads of HUD and FEMA, which will allow us to align Pallet with the new direction of these crucial departments at the core of our work. Collaborating with these policymakers is key in establishing an environment that fosters positive change in people’s lives rather than implementing punitive, inequitable measures that do nothing but exacerbate this crisis.

Addressing Displacement in States and Counties

While the new federal administration will be influential in creating national policies, each U.S. state faces its unique challenges in providing appropriate shelter and housing for their displaced residents.

In our experience creating shelter sites across the country, we have learned that solving these issues requires tailored strategies that not only include shelter provision but also supportive services and many other considerations that meet the specific needs of impacted populations. 

We utilized this expertise and insight to create a Five-Year Strategic Plan to End Homelessness for Savannah and Chatham County Interagency Council on Homelessness. The plan, formulated through meetings with key stakeholders and collecting relevant data, includes a comprehensive strategy to reach functional zero homelessness for the broader Savannah community. We will use this approach as a framework for designing effective, actionable, and thorough solutions to state and countywide displacement going forward.

On the front of climate-related events, this year we are placing a focus on demonstrating how non-congregate emergency shelter can play a pivotal role in strengthening resilience for disaster-prone states. We have already proven Pallet’s efficacy in responding to emergencies after building a shelter site for Floridians impacted by Hurricane Helene just days after the storm had passed. In the coming year, we are eager to expand this capacity for communities at risk of experiencing events like hurricanes, fires, and flooding—and increase access to rapidly deployable shelter when they need it most.

Making an Impact in Our Community

Pallet would be nothing without our people. Everything starts at our HQ in Washington State: before we can help displaced populations across the country, we are committed to providing stability and growth opportunities for our team members.

We created our Purpose-Led Workforce Model to advance this mission. A pivotal part of this model is Pallet’s Career Launch PAD (Program for Apprenticeship Development), which entails working on the manufacturing floor at HQ while participating in a paid pre-apprenticeship program focused on developing critical skills needed for a career in the trades.

We are looking forward to celebrating the graduation of our Career Launch PAD’s first cohort in 2025. After our team members complete the program, they will have the chance to pursue a rewarding career in the trades and become the skilled workforce of the future, creating more available space at Pallet for our next class in the process.

The displacement crisis in the U.S. has never been more dire. Through targeted efforts to address it on federal, state, and local levels, Pallet is driven to be part of the solution. Together, we have the chance to create lasting change in the coming year and ensure no one goes unsheltered.