Arizona group converting shipping containers from makeshift border wall into homes: 'The need is huge'

PHOENIX — Some shipping containers that once stood on Arizona’s border to keep people out are now being converted into tiny homes that welcome people in.

Wholistic Transformation, a Tucson, Arizona, faith-based nonprofit organization, is using shipping containers from former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s makeshift border wall to build tiny homes for young people transitioning out of the foster care system.

Ducey, who stacked thousands of shipping containers last year to create a barrier along the Arizona-Mexico border, came under pressure from a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice against Arizona, Ducey and agreed to dismantle the wall in December 2022. The federal government contended the wall was illegal, dangerous and interfered with federal duties.

Now, more than 2,000 containers removed from the border are available to government entities and nonprofits that can find uses for them, the state has said. The Arizona Department of Administration said any left by October will be available for public sale.

Bryan Benz, the founder and CEO of Wholistic Transformation, said he plans to build a community of seven tiny homes out of shipping containers that include a resident justice navigator on two adjoining lots belonging to the church next door.  

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"It's about restoring relationships, restoring community," Benz said at a recent event celebrating a newly purchased shipping container.

Benz said each tiny home will be a one-bedroom house, with a full kitchen, bathroom, and washer and dryer. The residents will choose what it will look like inside, from the style of cabinets to the color and fabric of the couch cushions.

Benz said he was called to start this effort when he learned about the large number of foster youths who become homeless, which often occurs within a few years of leaving foster care after they turn 18.

Foster care: A highway to homelessness

The foster care system, sometimes referred to as a highway to homelessness, often leaves young adults struggling to find stable housing, according to the National Foster Youth Institute.

About 20% of young adults who are in care become homeless once they are emancipated at the age of 18, the institute said. Nationwide, half of the homeless population spent time in foster care.

Annually, 20,000 kids will find themselves aging out of foster care, often thrust out into the world without a support system or loving family, losing access to services provided by the government, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

The reason why many foster youths eventually become homeless "is not the same as with every other population," said Luis De La Cruz, the president and CEO of the Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation. "It's not a symptom of a bigger problem. It's not because of their addiction. It's not necessarily because of their mental health. It's just that they were in foster care."

Once youth in foster care turn 18, they can decide to extend their time in care or live independently. If they choose to live on their own, they will receive $1,200 a month.

De La Cruz said many of the challenges facing them include high rent prices and navigational concerns. These include not having enough money for a deposit, a co-signer for a rental lease, or even the correct documents their landlords may require.

"A lot of the times, they need some upfront assets, so a deposit and maybe two months of rent. Maybe they need some credit history, and they don't have it," De La Cruz said.

That is where Wholistic Transformation comes in.

Benz said its purpose is to create a community of support around the residents with the help of the church next door and the resident navigator and help the residents reach their goals. Pedro De Velasco, a board member who works with immigrant communities, said using these shipping containers to build community instead of separating people helped convince him to join the board.

"That's a way better use than the one that back then Governor Ducey was using for those," he said about the shipping containers.

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Converting shipping containers into tiny homes

Wholistic Transformation's work has been done through volunteer efforts, which the organization will continue to rely on for the rest of the labor.

“We don't have a lot of money, but we have a lot of people committed. They're willing to help in different areas where their skills are, where their talents are,” Benz said.

Benz said he is looking to raise $12,000 to complete the first shipping container, and each following unit will cost $40,000 to complete. The entire project is projected to cost from $400,000 to $450,000, which includes one year's salary for the resident navigator.

Once they are completed and residents move into their new tiny homes, their rent will pay for ongoing expenses.

Benz said rent is likely to be $800 as a starting cost but will incentivize them to go to school and participate in different trainings by decreasing the rent depending on what residents do.  

Once his project is completed, he hopes this type of tiny home community can be a model for other vulnerable populations who are impacted by housing insecurity, including veterans, the elderly, and people released from prison.  

"We’ve got to get something started," Benz said. "The need is there, but the need is huge."

History of Arizona's shipping container wall

What began with just 42 shipping containers in August 2022 grew to a wall erected from thousands of the 20 and 40-foot metal boxes by the end of last year. 

Ducey announced the project last August, just hours before the first containers were double-stacked on the Arizona-Mexico border, and weeks after the Biden administration said it planned to fill gaps along the border. 

The governor’s administration said the containers were temporary, but that it was done waiting on the Biden administration to act on border security, an issue for which Ducey and other Republican governors have often criticized the Democratic president.

The makeshift barrier effort is costing Arizona taxpayers more than $200 million in construction, removal, and container transportation fees. The money is coming out of Arizona Border Security Fund’s $335 million pot allocated for the "construction, administration, and maintenance of a physical border fence."

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