"Revenge of the Nerds" Producer Inspires Innovative Shopping Cart-Shelter for the Homeless
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| Nick Stern |
A few months back, the L.A.Times published an exciting story about the advent of the EDAR. Designed with the meaning of the acronym, Everyone Deserves A Roof, in mind, the EDAR is essentially a mobile shelter with a built-in cot that collapses into a shopping cart. It's wind proof. It's water proof. It can accommodate multiple people. There's no denying that the EDAR is an extremely interesting idea.
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| Nick Stern |
It originated in the mind of Peter Samuelson (yes, the same Peter Samuelson behind Revenge of the Nerds), a philanthropist and L.A.-based movie producer who interviewed dozens of homeless about their needs and determined that they would benefit greatly from a mobile shelter.
Samuelson then sponsored a design contest at the Art Center College of Design in Pasedena, and the winning model -- complete with zippers, locks, windows, and bins to hold recyclables -- became the EDAR. eBay Presdient Jeff Skoll financed the construction and extensive testing of nine EDAR prototypes, and, finally, about 60 were distributed in L.A., where an estimated 73,000 people are homeless.
So far, Samuelson's non-profit, EDAR, Inc., has been partnering with churches and shelters and homeless service providers to identify possible EDAR users. They're interested in expanding nationwide, but have initial plans to test the waters San Diego and San Francisco.
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| Nick Stern |
A local EDAR representative, Paige Cone, has been making calls to city shelters, and this weekend, an EDAR will make its first appearance in San Francisco, as it wheels through Bay to Breakers with the rest of the floats. Cone believes the race is a perfect introduction.
"Bay to Breakers is such a huge part of San Francisco culture, and obviously, so is homelessness," she said. The race is also a great way to demonstrate the portability of the unit, she said. (Bay to Breakers and homelessness -- one features drunkenness, vagrancy, and defecation in the street. And the other is homelessness -- ed.)Although there are sure to be arguments against the widespread adoption of the EDAR (People will use them as drug and prostitution dens! They'll roll down the hills! Surely the majority of these $500 mini-mobile homes will wind up stolen!), but we're definitely looking forward to checking them out.
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