Rapid construction of tension-membrane shelters is integral to ending homelessness, says the maker of such facilities, which have so far transitioned 10,000 Americans from homelessness to stable housing.

With homeless advocates and leaders meeting this week in Washington at the sold-out National Alliance to End Homelessness convention, Sprung Structures, the inventors of the patented technology, is speaking out about its successful Sprung Navigation Center model.

“Soaring homelessness is a top concern for cities across North America and we can offer the fastest solution to reverse this growing crisis,” says Phil Sprung, president of Sprung Structures.

“Designed by city planners as a complement to the Housing First model, our high-performance, purpose-built shelters provide housing and the much-needed on-site social services, accomplishing the Housing First outcomes in a fraction of the time of traditional construction.”

Featuring superior climate control, natural daylight and ample space for an array of on-site support services, Sprung facilities can be built in as little as eight weeks. 

In addition to the low construction costs and limited foundation requirements, the structures come with energy-efficient insulation packages that offer a comfortable interior at lower overall operating costs.

The housing is both dormitory-style rooms and private units. Resources include addiction treatment, job retraining, and mental-health services.

Research shows – and the Navigation Center model proves – that people with a stable and safe roof over their heads, have far better success in treating the root causes of their chronic homelessness.

“Successfully used in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland and Phoenix, and other urban centers, these special structures provide people who are experiencing homelessness with temporary housing as they travel the path to self-sufficiency and a brighter, more secure future,” says Sprung.

These centers have successfully transitioned more than 10,000 people from homelessness to stable housing. Projects can be found on sprung.com.

“Sprung’s custom 100-bed, heavy-duty and air-conditioned tensioned-fabric structure, which our city named Respiro (respite in Spanish), will continue to save lives beyond Phoenix summers,” says Yassamin Ansari, a Phoenix city council woman. “I look forward to working with Sprung to continue to provide humane, temporary housing solutions for our unsheltered residents.”