that were like fold-up shipping containers—but soon learned such models were not compliant with municipal building codes. And, unlike electric vehicles, regulatory exemptions for tiny homes didn’t exist. “We realized we had to build [tiny homes] to full code compliance” in order to succeed, Schneider says. They contracted with the National Testing Agency, a branch of the International Code Council, which offers third-party testing, inspection and plan review to help clients ensure compliance with building codes. Schneider says this was an invaluable lesson. “When it comes to housing, compliance is definitely going to be the choke point,” he says. With NTA approval putting their tiny homes on the fast track, Homes 4 the Homeless decided to move beyond the Family Owned Commercial & Residential Plumbing Company Since 1982
shipping-container modules toward more upscale models, or “dignified homes,” as the nonprofit puts it. The nonprofit engaged Guangdong Vessel Cultural Tourism Development, a China-based company focused on building eco-friendly housing for luxury tourism, to see if they could modify their capsules to be fully code compliant to U.S. standards, while also meeting affordable housing needs. “They loved the idea,” Schneider says. Vessel officially joined forces with Homes 4 the Homeless in 2023. Homes 4 the Homeless now holds a manufacturing and distribution agreement for the Vessel capsule homes in North America. They are working with the NTA again, to ensure the modules meet all standards to be compliant homes. In addition to mitigating homelessness, the nonprofit is also positioning its modules as temporary housing solutions in the event of disaster.
The first Vessel capsules for the North Bay arrived last November. The timing was fortuitous—in early December, the National Association of Counties was at the Luther Burbank Center in Santa Rosa, holding a meeting on emergency services and disaster relief. Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore, who’s serving this year as president of the national organization, arranged for Homes 4 the Homeless to show its capsules during the meeting. “[County] supervisors from all over the country were able to see them,” says Schneider. Meanwhile, as the NAC’s disaster relief meeting continued, an earthquake rattled the North Bay—the 7.0 quake on Dec. 5 was centered in Humboldt— setting off earthquake and tsunami smart phone alerts throughout the LBC. “All of the board supervisors, like 500 of them from all over the country, were coming out the back door where we were parked and we were just like, ‘Disaster-relief housing this way, disaster-relief housing this way,’” Schneider says. “Because of the alerts, everybody saw [the capsules] and they all piled in. It was a pretty amazing moment.” Schneider says they can be used for both permanent or temporary housing, depending on the need. “The new laws are very [conducive to] temporary housing, and the ability for us to pivot, depending on what the needs are,” Schneider says. “These can be really flexible because of the size and the mobility and the structure.” The Vessel housing units became available for general viewing at the nonprofit’s Fulton headquarters—3362
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