The Shellhouse, through technology, will set out to make the homeless population visible to other social networks, while providing some type of shelter from nature’s elements. The Shellhouse is a collapsible cardboard shelter with an RF transmitter integrated into it. It costs about $35 to build.
So how does all this work? Well, according to Pino, when you build this Shellhouse, you embed the RF transmitter with an MP3 file that has prerecorded audio samples of your name, age and place of origin. That signal is picked up by a receiver. So in other words, it helps identify the unidentifiable.
She tested the idea at St. Francis of Assisi Church in New York. They have a daily free meal program called the St. Francis Breadline. Three homeless people were chosen at random, and they recorded their data. They were then given shelters and when 8 o ‘clock rolled around and they came back to sleep, the priests knew who came to sleep that night and they seemed to have slept comfortably through the night. So can Pino somehow manage to bridge 2 separate social networks through technology?
It seems like a good idea in theory, but is it practical? I asked Pino the obvious question (to me.) I asked her why I shouldn't just go to Wal-Mart and buy a tent — it’s portable, collapsible and cheap and I don’t have to spend hours putting it together.
She replied by saying “You can have a shelter made out of the common materials that we can come across VERY easily, just by gathering cardboard.” I think she is referring to homeless people being able to find “replacement pieces” for their shelter in the event that it becomes damaged. It also promotes recycling by reusing discarded materials and makes us aware of waste, and consumption. She says that a tent is just simply buying something. Making something for someone builds a relationship for a longer period of time and is more of a personal gift.
“Do it yourself, for someone else.”
So maybe chivalry isn’t dead. Maybe someday we can see Shellhouses around town. Maybe Shellhouse will expand into Shell-apartments, Shell-mansions or Shell-cars. Whatever the case, I’m glad to see someone out there who cares.
Jonathan Masker is a wireless solution expert and is a self-proclaimed gadget guru.