“Local governments have a duty to ensure the welfare of all their people,” Berkeley City Councilmember Ben Bartlett said in a release. 

As many as 1,200 people are living on the streets in Berkeley, according to a recent Berkeley City Council report. Berkeley City Council hopes to put a dent in that number with steel micro-apartments that serve as tiny houses.

Under the Step Up Housing Initiative passed unanimously at their February 14 meeting, Berkeley City Council approved 100 of micro-units to be installed on city-owned land and be offered as housing to the homeless. While the developer and design of these units have not yet been selected, one concept under consideration is the stackable MicroPAD seen above. (“PAD” stands for “Prefabricated Affordable Housing”.)

“Local governments have a duty to ensure the welfare of all their people,” Berkeley City Councilmember Ben Bartlett said in a release. “Berkeley’s Step Up Housing will provide a road map for future supportive housing developments that can be replicated in other affected communities. Municipalities and states must be vigilant to ensure that public funds are being spent effectively, efficiently, and in a manner that best serves the community.”