Tiny homes in Fayetteville? Potential pallet village could offer relief for unhoused

Yahoo

30-04-2025

Fayetteville is exploring the creation of a 'pallet village' — a temporary shelter community made up of small, prefabricated housing units — to provide short-term refuge for people experiencing homelessness and mental health challenges.
Council members voted at their April 28 regular meeting to vote on the proposal at their May 5 work session. Councilman Mario Benavente voted in opposition because the motion was paired with an anti-panhandling signage proposal, but said he is in favor of the pallet shelters.
The Pallet Shelter initiative comes amid a growing urgency to address the city's rising unsheltered population, especially following the recent closure of the local Salvation Army, Councilwoman Brenda McNair said April 28 in a phone interview prior to the regular meeting.
She said Pallet Shelters could offer a safer, more stable alternative to encampments and overcrowded facilities.
'I visited all the encampments because I wanted to see for myself what we were faced with,' said McNair, chairwoman of the Council Homelessness/Mental Health Committee. 'Some people don't want to go into shelters because they feel their independence is restricted. The pallets would give them some independence — and a strong hand up.'
McNair has served on the Council Homelessness/Mental Health Committee since she was elected to the City Council in 2022. She said there has been interest in something similar to a pallet village since last year, but this is the first time a shelter village proposal has been moved to a city work session.
Pallet shelters are small, prefabricated units designed for crisis housing. They range from 70 to 120 square feet and are insulated, lockable and easy to maintain.
McNair and Councilman Malik Davis toured Pallet Shelter communities in Tampa, Florida, in November. She said the site was well-maintained and managed by nonprofits, including Catholic Charities.
McNair said the proposed village would allow residents to stay three to six months while receiving case management, mental health support, job assistance and other services.
McNair shared an email from Ben MacKrell with Pallet Shelters that said possible sites include city-owned land on Eufalia Street, the former Salvation Army lot at Russell Street and Alexander Street, and property near the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park on Blue Street.
According to MacKrell, the structures are classified as crisis shelters rather than homes or accessory dwellings, which may allow them under public-use zoning. The communities are run by the city or another entity delegated to the task.
McNair said she has already spoken with zoning and permitting departments to determine whether any of the proposed locations are feasible.
In a presentation to the Council Homelessness/Mental Health Committee on April 3, MacKrell explained the design options for a village in Fayetteville.
MacKrell said Pallet Shelters can be assembled in under an hour, with lockable doors and windows to provide security for individuals housed in them. Unit designs range from one to four-person units, some units would be Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant.
While there are unit options that include a bathroom, the option recommended for Fayetteville is a 50-unit village comprising one-person units with a communal bathroom and communal laundry.
Brook Redding, senior assistant to the city manager, said Fayetteville has cleared five high-risk encampments over the past four years under the Impact Reduction Program. The sites were shut down due to safety risks, including unsanitary conditions, crime and proximity to schools and highways.
Redding said individuals at the sites were offered up to 21 days in hotel rooms, and more than half accepted further assistance such as referrals to housing programs and reunification with family.
The Fayetteville Police Department's CARE Street Engagement Team continues to monitor encampments and work alongside nonprofits such as Manna Dream Center, CommuniCare and Fayetteville Urban Ministry, Redding said.
In an April 8 email to McNair shared with The Fayetteville Observer, DeAnna Bragg, the city's homelessness coordinator, identified several potential benefits to the pallet village model. These include a safer environment for residents, centralized service delivery, fewer trespassing incidents and a more dignified way of living.
But there are challenges, too. Cost, security, neighborhood resistance and management oversight are major concerns.
'It's not going to be a drop-in site,' MacKrell said. 'Residents would be placed through referrals, and site operators will set clear expectations for behavior and participation.'
McNair said she plans to involve Cumberland County and nearby municipalities such as Hope Mills and Spring Lake in the initiative. She noted that homelessness affects more than just those living in encampments.
'We have young people, domestic violence survivors, veterans and seniors on the streets,' she said. 'We need to work together — as a city, county and community — to address this.'
Even if the City Council does not move forward with a pallet village, McNair said she hopes the city considers some form of non-congregate sheltering.
'This is urgent to me,' she said. 'We've wasted too much time. If someone is out in the woods, sleeping in their car or on the street — that's a situation. And we need to respond.'
Government Watchdog Reporter Claire C. Carter can be reached at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Pallet shelter proposal moves forward in Fayetteville, NC