Canadian Carpenter Builds Tiny, Insulated Shelters For Local Homeless People

As Seivwright wrote,

"These tiny shelters are designed to be mainly heated by body heat and because of their size and the insulation value of the walls ceiling and floor just body heat alone should be enough to keep the shelter around 16 degrees Celsius [60.8 F] in -20 [-4 F] temperatures."

"It just seemed like something I could do that would be useful because there's so many people staying in tents," the carpenter told CBC.

"I've never seen so many people staying outside in parks, and this is something I could do to make sure people staying outside in the winter could survive."

"As shelters are usually at capacity at some point in the winter in Toronto and also because of this coronavirus, making space to allow for social distancing will put even more strain on Toronto's capacity," he wrote online.

"For some it's more difficult to find a shelter that can accommodate them and their pets or belongings and others refuse to be in shelters for other reasons. I am building these shelters for those that will live outside this winter."

As people run out of COVID-19 emergency benefits and some even experience losing their own homes, there is increased concern for the safety of Toronto's most vulnerable residents, many of whom will likely experience winter on the streets.

"It's going to be catastrophic. We have not yet seen the wave of evictions from people in unstable, unaffordable housing," Cathy Crowe, a long-time street nurse, told CBC. "People are trickling into homelessness now, but it's going to be like nothing we've ever seen in our lifetime."

Since he started building them in September, the generous carpenter has given two away for free, dropping them off in "out-of-the-way locations" across the city of Toronto.

"This isn't a permanent solution," he told CBC. "This is just making sure people don't die in the cold this winter. At least, some people."

As of writing, his GoFundMe has amassed over $57,000 in donations, well-surpassing his initial goal of $20,000.

In the fundraiser's description, Seivwright says he is also accepting donations in the form of building supplies, including plywood, insulation, and roofing materials.

To learn more about this worthy cause or to donate money/supplies, click here.

h/t: CBC News, GoFundMe