The temporary shelters were built in collaboration with Branch Technology and Olivet Baptist Church.
The first two residents who enrolled in the City of Chattanooga’s 3D-printed shelter 12-month pilot program have been placed into permanent housing, with assistance from Chattanooga’s Office of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. The initial residents were housed in 30 days, beating the Office of Homelessness and Supportive Housing’s (OHSH) standard to place clients into housing within 90 days. Part of this success can be attributed to OHSH being able to locate the client and having the intensive support service that was provided daily.
“This quick win is a testament to the capabilities of our dedicated team and community partners to get folks into permanent housing with a sense of urgency. It’s an early proof–of-concept and an exciting start for the pilot, and we hope that this small innovation will continue to help countless more unsheltered people transition into stable housing.”
Mayor Tim Kelly
The city opened the temporary housing units in July in partnership with Branch Technology, which deployed the technology to build the structures, and Olivet Baptist Church, which offered the land where the structures are located.
The two shelter units – located off of 10th street on a vacant parcel of land owned by Olivet Baptist Church – provide a safe, secure location for residents to temporarily reside until they are able to transition to permanent housing. The City of Chattanooga’s Office of Homelessness and Supportive Housing is managing the site and is providing support and services to the shelter’s occupants.
“The overall process has been seamless. Our team made contact with our residents every day to make sure everything was working smoothly and that our residents had what they needed,” said Casey Tinker, Director of Homeless Initiatives for the Office of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “The quick success with the first two clients in this pilot allows us to move two new participants into the units this week and start the process all over again.”
The ongoing effort to reduce homelessness
The City of Chattanooga has been able to place nearly 3,000 people into permanent supportive housing since the start of the Kelly Administration. This record-breaking progress was due in large part to the Kelly administration’s housing-first strategy, a mentality of prioritizing rapid rehousing and follow-up services that works in conjunction with our Eviction Prevention Initiative. That initiative has prevented almost 300 evictions to date.
The City of Chattanooga has committed to a $100 million affordable housing initiative with the intention of creating and preserving thousands of affordable housing units over five years. Today, there are more than 600 units of affordable housing in various stages of development across the city.
Construction of the 3D-Printed Shelters
The shelter units are made of Branch Technology’s CompositeCore, which uses their patented 3D-printing technology to create a structural lattice. This “matrix” lattice was printed according to the design for the unit and combined with robotically-cut fire-rated insulating foam. The CompositeCore panels were shipped to the location on 10th street, assembled in only a few hours, and then finished with an industry-standard cement-based waterproof finish.
About Branch Technology
Branch Technology was founded in 2014 with the idea that the built world can be revolutionized through modern technology, lean manufacturing, and design freedom. To that end, Branch exists to make a beautifully built world. Branch’s proprietary technology has been applied on projects ranging from construction to aerospace logistics to artistic sculptures. Visit www.branchtechnology.com to learn more about its technology, products, and projects.
