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Old Hawaii buses to be converted into mobile homeless shelters

hawaii bus

One man’s bus is another man’s home.

Old city buses in the ‘Aloha State’ of Hawaii will be refurbished into transitional shelters for the homeless, if Group 70 International is successful, reports Hawaii News Now.

“The idea is to convert them into living, sleeping, showering, recreational facilities,” Ma Ry Kim told the news outlet.

Instead of making each bus into a living space complete with all the amenities, the vehicles are set to operate in fleets, with different purposes allocated to different units.

“We’re fitting some out to be bathrooms and showers, we’re fitting some out to be sleeping areas,” said Kim. “And the design completely folds away like a little Japanese tatami mat.”

The builders will be made up of a team of volunteers, and everything — from the buses to the supplies — is being donated by a host of organizations.

“The entire design is based on the premise that you could walk in to a hardware store, buy everything you need in one go and build everything with no trade skills,” she said.

The reaction to the idea has been overwhelming, with many vying for the opportunity to help out.

“It was completely organic,” said Kim. “And we, when we started, did not even realize, number one: what a need there was for this. And number two: how many people can benefit from it.

“But mostly, how many people wanted to help.”

Kim hopes to have two buses completed this summer and have the first five buses done within this calendar year. Details concerning who will operate the buses and where they will be deployed are still being finalized.