Carly Berlin

And so that's, yeah, that's a huge problem.

What's that?

Think about your classic Sears catalog from about 100 years ago.

These were really common all across the country.

You would have a company send you blueprints and parts to build catalogs.

And so many of our sort of like just middle of the road housing in this country was built in that way.

And the state is trying to recreate that model.

And the idea here is that the state program, they'll create 10 designs of homes that will be free to anyone who wants to use them.

And towns that participate in this program would then get, if you want to build one of these designs, you'd get a fast track through local permitting.

So the idea is trying to smooth this process of building, making it easier for people who want to add an accessory dwelling unit in their backyard or want to build a duplex in their neighborhood.

Yeah, I mean, it's it's we saw really skyrocketing rates of homelessness during the pandemic that have persisted.

And so the problem is is really dire.

And right now, one of the, you know, different approaches this season, we're in the middle of winter.

It's really cold here.

And so.

There are a growing number of people who are living outdoors during the depths of winter.

We don't have enough year round shelter programs for everyone to be indoors.

And so there's a new effort this season to open these what are called extreme cold weather shelters that basically

get popped up when the wind chill is at negative 10.

It's a really low threshold, but that's when the state will reimburse nonprofits or towns to put up these shelters.