Prefab for Vancouver's Homeless

"The modular housing component was based on proposals from architect Gregory Henriquez and real estate consultant Michael Geller, who suggested the idea during Geller's unsuccessful council bid in last fall's municipal election.

The province asked Geller to study the feasibility of the modular concept and he concluded that the idea was a practical one. Geller said capital costs would vary between $37,000 and $46,000 per unit, compared to $302,000 for permanent units already announced by the province.

'One of the true benefits of this approach is that we can have people housed in a matter of months rather than a matter of years,' said Geller.

'While some may be concerned that this housing will not be attractive, I think the plans produced to date clearly demonstrate that a great concern may be that it's too attractive and hence will become permanent.'"