EDAR

- Founded by filmmaker and philanthropist Peter SamuelsonOfficial Site: History
- Samuelson sponsored a contest to find the ideal design for the shelterOfficial Site: History
- EDAR works with agencies striving to find shelter for homeless people and also provides the shelters for free to individualsOfficial Site: Edar
- Several shelters which have a lack of sleeping facilities use EDARs as extra bedsOfficial Site: Edar
- EDARs are designed to easily hold and transport recyclable materials, the collection of which is a source of income for many homeless peopleOfficial Site: Solution and Strategy
- Units cost $500 to buildCNN: Tents on wheels give homeless people... (March 10, 2009)
- Homeless refer to it as the "hobo condo"CNN: Tents on wheels give homeless people... (March 10, 2009)
- When opened up, the units measure 84 inches long and 32 inches wideCNN: Tents on wheels give homeless people... (March 10, 2009)
- Safety mechanisms include wheel locks and a chain and padlock for securing when not in useCNN: Tents on wheels give homeless people... (March 10, 2009)
- 60 units distributed through shelters and other programs as of March 2009CNN: Tents on wheels give homeless people... (March 10, 2009)

EDAR, an acronym for "Everyone Deserves A Roof" is a charity organization that provides homeless people with mobile shelters. EDAR also refers to the device itself, which was designed to provide homeless people with an apparatus that functions as a mobile storage unit by day and can easily be transformed into a framed tent-like enclosure to provide them with a dry sleeping area.Official Site: Edar
Multiple Uses

The Rand corporation is conducing testing on the units, but that's not stopping Samuelson from distributing the units. The first 60 units are currently being used in three different ways. Some shelters are using the EDAR units in place of additional beds. In some cases, the units are being given out in lieu of building new facilities for the homeless, which is not always possible. In addition, the units are being given to those who are hesitant to take up residence in a homeless shelter - either because of fear or personal pride or other reasons. Still other organizations are utilizing the shelters as a way of reaching out to the homeless in an effort to build up trust, leading to getting them into a more permanent shelter location.ArchitectureWeek: EDAR in LA (February 18, 2009)
Quotes
"Well into the twenty-first century, if the best our advanced society can do for the hundreds of thousands of homeless human beings... men, women and children... who live among us is the cast-off box our refrigerator came in, what exactly does that say about us?"—Peter SamuelsonOfficial Site: History
"This is one of the greatest damn gifts you could ever give to anybody."—Homeless man Christopher RaynorLos Angeles Times: Upgrading from a cardboard box for the homeless (December 10, 2008)