Kenneth A. Capron, a resident of Portland, Maine, is proposing a unique idea of converting cruise ships into floating homeless shelters. As the founding director of non-profit MemoryWorks, Capron has applied for a $250,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to research the feasibility of this concept.
His plan involves converting a luxury cruise ship capable of housing over 1,000 people to address the immediate need for housing units in the city. This initiative aims to tackle both the lack of homeless shelters and affordable housing while providing job skills training and medical assistance to those in need.
“We’re looking at four populations: the homeless population, the low-income population, the workforce population, and immigrant population who all need housing,” explained Capron. “They all need job skills training. We would offer that on board along with medical help, too.”
However, not everyone is in favor of Capron’s idea.
The main criticism Capron faces is related to the high cost of converting cruise ships into shelters. Despite the challenges, Mayor Strimling is open to exploring creative housing solutions for the city.
“I have no idea if it’s the craziest idea I’ve ever heard or the most brilliant idea I’ve ever heard, but what I like about it is that he’s coming up with creative ways to figure out how to build housing in the city of Portland,” said Strimling.
While there are practical hurdles to overcome, the idea of repurposing cruise ships for housing warrants further investigation to determine its viability. Capron’s grant application will shed light on whether this unconventional approach can address the city’s housing needs.
