What do you do with an old cruise ship? According to the last global survey in the year 2005 conducted by the United Nations, there are over 100 million of homeless people worldwide while over 1.6 billion of people lacked proper housing. In the US alone, there were 554,000 homeless people in the United States based from the statistics on the year 2017!
With these staggering figures, it is no doubt that homelessness is a major problem, not only in America but across the globe as well. Sadly, despite the progress our countries are making, homelessness remains to be an incurable problem of society. However, a man from Portland, Maine thought of a unique way to solve the the dire problem. A contractor and entrepreneur named Ken Capron plan to buy an old cruise ship that is no longer in use!
The creative entrepreneur is planning to rebuild the entire cruise ship and transform it into an affordable apartment which will be stationed in the city’s port. Ken Capron thinks that by allowing people to live on the transformed cruise ship, he will be able to create a new floating community and at the same time, provide a new space for the homeless.
In addition, Ken Capron also believes that in doing so, he will be able to address the shortage of housing since no land space has to be occupied for the plan to materialize. “We’re looking at four groups that need housing: the homeless, the low-income, the workers and the immigrants. They also need vocational training and we would offer them on board,” Ken Capron explained in one of his interviews.
Because of its unusual character, the entrepreneur’s proposal may appear strange. However, authorities are investigating the feasibility of his proposal. In fact, the mayor of the city has issued a statement stating that he is willing to investigate Ken’s solid suggestion. “I’m not sure if it’s the craziest notion I’ve ever heard or the most amazing concept I’ve ever heard,” said Mayor Ethan Strimling of Ken’s proposal in an interview.
The ship, as Ken mentioned, would be converted into five distinct storeys. According to his plans, each story may house 100 apartments. The cost of renovating the cruise ship is anticipated to be between $5 million and $10 million. Ken’s idea may appear absurd to some, but it has a lot of potential. Aside from its viability, finding investors ready to finance Ken’s unusual housing design is difficult.
Ken has already requested an independent investigation to determine whether his concept is viable. He plans to offer his idea to the City Committee once it has been demonstrated to be feasible. People who have heard about Ken’s unconventional approach to addressing homelessness have mixed feelings about his objectives. One YouTube user appeared to support Ken’s concept by leaving a remark. “There isn’t enough aid for people who are homeless.” This is fantastic!”
Another YouTube user, however, disagreed with Ken’s proposal, saying, “It’s going to cost more money to maintain that boat than the street shelter, and you’re going to put them in the heart of the old Port nasty, how about making a live n work housing where they work and pay rent and have to be rehabilitated.”
What do you think about Ken’s unique way of curing the problem of homelessness in our society? Watch the video below and learn more about Ken’s plans in developing a floating community in order to provide a place for the homeless. And SHARE your thoughts below the comment section.’