By Madeleine Parrish | Arizona Republic
The Phoenix City Council on Wednesday approved a plan to install shelter units made from shipping containers on city-owned land in southwest Phoenix.
The plan is an effort by the city to find creative ways to rapidly address homelessness and increase its supply of non-congregate shelter space, according to the Dec. 14 City Council meeting agenda.
The shipping container units — called “XWings” after their x-shaped design — will be part of a larger shelter site at 3000 S. 22nd Ave. that will sleep 276 people.
The shelter spots will prioritize people living near the new shelter site and in a large homeless encampment located near 12th Avenue and Madison Street commonly referred to as the Zone, according to the city. It is scheduled to open in the summer.
At Wednesday’s meeting, the City Council approved a $3 million contract with Steel & Spark LLC to create the shipping container shelter units. The contract is financed by reallocated federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, which will also supply an additional $2.5 million for site improvements and project operations.
Each XWing will be made of four refurbished 40-foot shipping containers. They’ll be made of corrosion-resistant steel to minimize the need for maintenance and have centralized heat and air conditioning, according to city records. They will also be noncombustible and built with life safety systems.
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