LA Homeless Get Portable Shelter

A select group of homeless people in Los Angeles now have some relatively decent digs, the Los Angeles Times reports. The EDAR, which stands for for Everyone Deserves a Roof, is a portable shelter that can be used to transport belongings by day. At night it unfolds into a rainproof pop-up tent. Some 60 of the units have been distributed to shelters and individuals in LA, and aid organizations are evaluating the system for an expanded rollout.

The EDAR was conceived by producer/ philanthropist Peter Samuelson after he met a woman sleeping in a Sub-Zero box. “I've got the refrigerator. She's got the box. What is wrong with this picture?” he thought. Critics think the shelter might encourage homeless people to stay on the street, but Samuelson disagrees. “There's no pretense it's as good as permanent or temporary brick-and-mortar housing,” he said. But it’s “infinitely better than a damp cardboard box.” (More Los Angeles stories.)