21 May 2016

Sleep Bus: A Mobile Shelter for Homeless People and Their Pets


In just two months Australian entrepreneur Simon Rowe has raised over $100,000 to convert buses into mobile shelters for the homeless and their pets.

The goal of his non-profit organization, Sleep Bus, is to provide is a comfortable and safe place to sleep for the night.

Other organizations provide long-term solutions and counseling while Sleep Bus meets an immediate short-term need.

Sleep Bus statistics indicate there are over 105,000 homeless people in Australia. Over 6,000 of these people are sleeping rough on any given night, with 1,000 of those under 12 years old.

Rowe, who experienced homelessness at the age of 19, was inspired to found Sleep Bus when he saw a homeless man trying to sleep in a doorway in the middle of the day.  

“That man, trying to sleep on a concrete floor, in the middle of the day, on a busy city street affected me in a profound way. And that’s a mild story; for many sleeping on the streets are being subjected to terrible weather, harassment, bullying, being robbed and worse. No one should have to live like that,” wrote Rowe on his Go Fund Me page.

Each Sleep Bus costs about $50,000 to purchase and convert, and will feature 22 sleeping pods - similar to the Japanese capsule hotels - and eight kennels for pets.

Other features include:
  • 2 toilets, 22 personal items lockers under bus storage
  • Security system, lighting system inside & out
  • Intercom system for family sleep pods with parental control locks
  • Each sleep pod comes with single bed inner-spring mattress, pillows, sheets and blankets (washed daily)
  • The pod has USB charging for mobile phones, personal light, lockable roller door, climate control and television with auxiliary channel running adverts for available services in the area to help with pathways out of homelessness
  • Each pod can be adapted for families, with parents able to control their child’s door lock and intercom for communication between designated family members only.

     

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