World Shelters Featured in Eureka Reporter

World Shelters was featured in the Eureka Reporter on Saturday, July 12th.  The article included a picture of Rick and Bruce on the front page as well as a detailed write-up on the cover of the Home section.  Focusing on the U-Dome, reporter Melody Stone covered the variety of proposals and projects that World Shelters is involved in.  The link to the original article is located here, and the full text can be found below.

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World Shelters provides ‘a home for everyone’

By MELODY STONE, The Eureka Reporter

Published: Jul 12 2008, 12:23 AM · Updated: Jul 12 2008, 12:35 AM

When natural disasters strike, some people lose their homes. World Shelters wanted to find a solution to this.

The nonprofit organization based in Arcata designed a dome house that can be easily transported and built.

It’s called a U-Dome, and it’s made out of flame-retardant, corrugated, UV-resistant polypropylene. When the pieces are laid flat, 27,000 square feet of shelter can fit in a standard ocean-freight container.

The team that started World Shelters has been working on disaster relief for 30 years. World Shelters became incorporated as a nonprofit group four years ago.

World Shelters started making tents that were easy to assemble and transport, but after Hurricane Katrina, it decided to start working on a hard-panel structure.

It’s been working on the U-Dome for about two years, and is in the process of getting U-Domes to the areas in China most affected by the recent earthquake.

World Shelters Executive Director Bruce LeBel said, “Five million people are homeless in China”; World Shelters has a proposal for 10,000 shelters.

“With the tooling we’ve produced, we have the ability to produce an unlimited quantity.”

It has a manufacturing partner in Southern California and is putting together a partnership with a manufacturer in China.

World Shelters isn’t just looking at disasters, LeBel said. “Domestically, we are focusing on homeless issues.”

Its vision is “shelter with dignity and hot showers.” World Shelters can provide shelter (two people to a dome) and showers for $1.50 per person per day.

“We’re in dialogue with lead agencies in (several) municipalities,” said LeBel.

The U-Dome is also available for private purchase. A dome with a locking RV door, six vents and two windows costs $1,945. More information is available online at Worldshelters.org. World Shelters has started selling the shelters on eBay, with the profit margins used to support its mission.

Dottie Russell, of Southern Humboldt, bought two U-Domes from World Shelters.

She set one up in Southern Humboldt and has been serving one or two people. Russell said the U-Dome provides transitional housing for sleeping and reflecting.

Russell and her husband have been living in the second U-Dome and modifying it to be more like a home.

“They are nice and fresh and clean, they don’t smell, and they don’t have mold. A lot of the houses in Humboldt County have mold, so this is one step above that,” said Russell. She also enjoys the sunshine that comes in. “It’s really quite beautiful.”

The U-Dome will be featured in Triennale di Milano, an architecture and design museum in Milan, Italy. The exhibit is called “Una Casa per Tutti,” or “A House for All.”

“Last year we had a lot of people die (in Southern Humboldt) from not having housing. There’s no excuse for people to die when shelter can be provided for them,” said Russell. “Isn’t a human life worth more than a couple thousand dollars?”