Development of Portable Homes for the Homeless in Sydney, Australia - Project Proposal

This project proposal aims to develop portable homes for the homeless in Sydney, Australia using used shipping containers retrofitted with recycled materials and installed in public spaces. The proposal aligns with the author's ability to identify problems, conduct scientific research, and provide solutions to contemporary societal problems.

PPMP20018 Project Proposal
Project Name: Development of Portable Homes for the Homeless in Sydney, Australia
Proposal Author Name and Student number:
Campus and Tutor:
1 Project Description
1.1 Opportunity/Problem
On any given night, over 100000 Australians are homeless, based on 2011 census.
Given that the population of Australia has grown by about 2 million in the same period, it is
expected that the number of homless in Australia will increase over the 2011 numbers ('SBS
News', 2017), (Knaus, 2017); further, so many indigenous Australian women also face
housing problems, especially in the Northern regions (Graham, Wallace, Selway, Howe &
Kelly, 2014). Present solutions are too conventional, require direct funding and lots of land to
put up, making them ineffective and impractical amidst a ballooning homleessness problem
(Knaus, 2017): instead, radical and unconentional approaches can best solve the problem
(Brown, Keast, Waterhouse & Murphy, 2009).
1.2 Proposed Scope
The project will entail purchasing used shipping containers (40 foot), retro fitting
them as shelters using recycled materials, and installng them in a stackable way in public
spaces, such as above public parking lots owned by the local council, such as the Goulburn
street parking, or open fileds availed free by the Council or leased land. Once a location is
idetified, the container houses will be constructed with water and sanitation put in place, and
basic furniture put in place using recycled materials
1.3 Strategic Alignment
The proposal will demonstrate my ability to identify problems, conduct scientific
research, collect data, and use my engineeing and technical skills to provide solutions to
contemporary societal problems. It also provides me an opportunity to implement, and learn
from, technical project management and general skills in project planning, management, and
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Concept Proposal - Development of Portable Homes for the Homeless in Sydney, Australia
execution. With the project, I will also learn and improve my negotiation and fund raising
skills
2 Alternative
2.1 Alternative
The alternative would be provide permamnent low cost public housing to house the
homeless in Sydney; this would require massive resource investments. The proposed solution
is therefore better because it costs less and will take less time
3 Stakeholders
3.1 Key stakeholders and impact
The local Government of NSW: Laws, approvals and space
CQU university: technical support, grants
The Homeless people in Sydney: beneficiaries
Wider public/ donors: Funding
4 Initial Project Approach
4.1 Proposed Key Activities and schedule
Activity
Code
Description Start Finish
1 Project proposal and project plan One weeks
2 Registering a charity/ trust 2 weeks
3 Obtain fundraising permission 2 weeks
4 Identify key stakeholders including possible
donors
2 weeks
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Concept Proposal - Development of Portable Homes for the Homeless in Sydney, Australia
5 Initiate fundraising activities Continuous
6 Obtain quotationd for shipping containers 1 week
7 Seek council help in acquiring open space such as
a parking or empty land for the project
3 weeks
8 Designs and drawings for the proposed shelters 4 weeks
9 Design approvals from local authorities 2 weeks
10 Conduct open fundraising through a charity run/
event
2 days
11 Secure a yard for works 1 week
12 Source for technicians (welders, carpenters,
recycling specialists, masons, plimbers)
2 weeks
13 Retrofitting containers 8 weeks
14 Stacking and puttig containers in place 2 weeks
15 Handover housing unit to rgistered trust 2 days
4.2 Possible Resource Requirements
Two assistants for project
Workers and technicians (see item 12 in table)
Professor/ supervisor
5 Constraints / Assumptions
Raising requisite finances will be a big challenge
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Concept Proposal - Development of Portable Homes for the Homeless in Sydney, Australia
Red tape from government authorities in releasing strategies to tackle the homelessness
problem in Sydney
It is assumed the fund raising will be enough to get off the ground and the council will provide
land/ space for the container shelters
6 Initial Indicative Cost & Potential Funding Source
See Appendix I
7 Interdependencies
Legislation and permission from local council
Technical support from CQU as part of CQU CSR
8 Risk and Mitigation
Risk Mitigation
Non-cooperation from the key stakeholders Use effective stakeholder engagement and
communication
Injuries during works Implement WHS
Lack of adequate funding Use different sources for funding, including
seeking University grants
get stakeholder support and seek volunteers
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Concept Proposal - Development of Portable Homes for the Homeless in Sydney, Australia
9 References
Brown, K., Keast, R., Waterhouse, J., & Murphy, G. (2009). Social inno vation t o sol ve
homeles snes s: w ick ed solut ions for w ick ed pr oble ms (pp. 2-14). Sydney:
Southern Cross business School. Retrieved from
https://epubs.scu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1803&context=bus_pubs
Graham, D., Wallace, V., Selway, D., Howe, E., & Kelly, T. (2014). Why are so many
Indigenous Women Homeless in Far North and North West Queensland, Australia?
Service Providers’ Views of Causes. Journal Of Tropical Psychology, 4(8).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jtp.2014.8
Knaus, C. (2017). Australia's homelessness crisis: number of older women forced to
couchsurf doubles. the Guardian. Retrieved 28 March 2018, from
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/aug/07/australias- homelessness-
crisis-number-of-older-women-forced-to-couchsurf-doubles
'SBS News'. (2017). Sydney in 'crisis' as homeless counted. SBS News. Retrieved 28
March 2018, from https://www.sbs.com.au/news/sydney-in- crisis-as-
homeless-counted
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Concept Proposal - Development of Portable Homes for the Homeless in Sydney, Australia
Appendix I: Costs
Item/ Activity Cost
Logistics and stationery 4000
40 foot containers 220000
Labor 43200
Permits and licenses 4000
Hiring event for fundraising 1500
Yard 5000
Fixtures and fittings 80000
Total 357700
Funding sources
Crowd funding 150000
Charity event 100000
Donors and well-wishers, NGOs 100000
CQU university grant 40000
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