Relief Cabins - What are they how are they the best answer
Amy Davis and Henry Davis stand at the porch of a model of a Relief Cabin in North Carolina.
As we served hot meals to the community of Old Fort, NC after Helene we began to see a pattern. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner the same farming families were coming up to get food, and ask for cold-weather gear. So we put out the call for cold weather gear and received it in droves. Happily, we handed out tents, heaters, and sleeping bags. But, then we began to ask “Where are you camping? Why haven’t you taken a FEMA hotel offer? What are you going to do when it’s below freezing?”
These individuals and families were farmers, landowners, and miners. They live on property they own outright and don’t want to leave. They can’t leave. Their farm animals need them and they can’t be in a hotel 1.5 hours away. They can’t leave their mining setups. They are not going to sell to FEMA and lose their land’s history. They have to stay on the property while their home is being repaired or rebuilt. It’s the only option to protect their livelihood.
We put our heads together and tried to figure out what would work better than a tent and some sleeping bags. Speaking to shed companies seemed like a fast option, and it is very inexpensive, but it left the homeless family with a project to finish it out with insulation and equipment to make it livable. A project they have no tools to complete, no money for all those supplies, no manpower to lend a hand. We then spoke to tiny home builders, which was a very expensive option but provided a fully finished home. But even if the whole tiny home is donated it still needs to be hooked up to utilities which were also broken and damaged in the flood and turned off. And the build can take a very long time.
Our answer became a little bit of both options. Take a shed that is built quickly and inexpensively, and finish it out inside so it is comfortable like a tiny home. Then make it completely off-grid so it is a moveable/removable building, completely self-contained, and does not need any utility hook-up at all.
The Relief Cabin was born. It is a shed building built out on the inside like a tiny home with all the add-ins that make it liveable and comfortable.
It is insulated fully through the roof and walls
100 amp electric service is run with lighting and outlets
The walls and ceiling are enclosed with wood and finished
It is a single-room space with a bathroom at one end containing a composting toilet. bucket sink, and a closet
There is a counter with open shelving underneath to serve as a kitchenette complete with a propane stove to prepare food
Across from that, there is a fold-down table and chairs
We provide foam mattresses based on occupancy for a good place to sleep
Baseboard heating to make the space comfortable through the winter
Two windows let in a lot of light
The door is a standard door that locks tight so no one worries about their items while they are away, or their safety while they sleep.
This is an example of what is being delivered to the property, We can build this at a greatly reduced price thanks to the generosity of the builder, and finish it out and outfit it completely because of the generosity of our sponsors and donators.
Because no utilities are needed to hook up to, these cabins can be placed on any flat surface and moved into immediately. From the moment we have enough to build a cabin the clock starts ticking and we get it made in less than 3 weeks. That means that with your donation getting us closer and closer to another cabin we can move a family into a short-term, safe, and warm solution in the fast to stay in while rebuilding or repairing their true family home. Please, help us provide this option to those who have lost everything.