O-Car

The number of people facing homelessness situations in big cities has been increasing all over the world. These people are often not able to adequate themselves to society’s standards, ending up occupying public spaces, exposed to inclement weather and low life conditions, posing an issue to other citizens that have their access to public spaces restricted. Global authorities have been trying to address the issue by vacating public spaces, which are constantly used as shelter in an attempt to escape the conditions of inclement weather, most of the times, while a lot of vehicles have been constantly abandoned in these same cities. Most don’t even follow the cities’ policies, and end up being merely discarded. Preparing and adapting some of these vehicles in order to provide shelter for people facing homelessness situations, while solving both the public spaces issue and the recycling issue is the goal of the O-Cars.

The vacancy of public spaces, such as squares, streets, parks, sights, and others, while providing basic life conditions to people facing homelessness situations. We're trying to build a more inclusive and sustainable world, in which people have the chance to rebuild their lives, or live with the necessary human conditions, while saving the planets from unsustainable attitudes and actions.

People facing homelessness situations, common citizens, and the administrative and civil defence bodies. People facing homelessness situations have mostly lost their families, whether because their family is gone or because they’re not part of their families anymore. Most of these people have lost their feeling of belonging to society. They constantly feel that they won’t be able to reach the next day. They are exposed to hunger. Their clothes are in terrible conditions and sometimes their only companion is a dog. They are exposed to violence and the conditions of inclement weather. They are constantly fighting against alcohol and drug addictions. Observing and following the work that is currently done to help them by the respective authorities. Proving shelter and habitation, basic life and citizenship conditions.

To provide people facing homelessness situations the basic of living conditions, while addressing the abandoned vehicles issue (recycling them), and vacating the public space, such as streets, squares, and other public appliances. Selecting places that are able to receive the O-Car’s, registering the people that have taken a part in the shelters, and providing the minimum of maintenance and update to the equipment. The O-Car’s are inexpensive installations, made with the cockpits of discarded vehicles, in order to become shelter and habitation to people facing homelessness situations. From the original vehicles, the engine, the gearshift, the benches, the steering wheel and the pedals will be discarded.  The O-Car’s are meant to be stationary, but the wheels and the tires are kept in case it is necessary to move them. They have a low energy consumption, due to the fact they attend one single person. They can work with sunlight energy, electric light, methane energy, or batteries. They provide access to water, and sewage or waste disposal appliances or systems. Their basic set up must ensure that people facing homelessness situations will adhere to their new shelter, abandoning the streets. The O-Car’s can also be able to provide other appliances, such as radio, heating machine, beds, toilet, and others.

All three mixed. The idea is to design the project and to obtain the know-how of the entire process, which can then be sold to automobile companies or governmental bodies, which wish to address this particular issue. The main goal is to provide shelter and living conditions to a group of people that is constantly exposed to inclement weather, allowing them to live with at least the basic living conditions.

Recycled and abandoned vehicles in order to harmonize the public space, providing the maximum of comfort, with the minimum of cost, and the maximum number of recycled items. Also, being able to work with different and alternative energy possibilities. Our goal is to feature a 12 amps’ battery or a font of low cost electric energy, in order to guarantee internal light, ventilation, heating equipment, TV and/or radio appliances, microwave, shower, and a micro safety camera.

It will provide the opportunity for people facing homelessness situations to be able to re-establish themselves into society, allowing them to have basic conditions for survival and life in society.

We haven’t served anyone yet. We are still working on a prototype.

12 people.

1,000 people around the world or more.

The main goal is to be able to successfully implant the O-Car’s as a solution to an individual each, moving forward to address others solutions such as family groups with the same principle.

The maintenance of the equipment. This process cannot be the main focus of the project, but it must be addressed with seriousness and creativity, in order to be helpful to the final draft of the project. Whether to invest in the implementation of more O-Cars or in the upgrade of existing O-Cars is also an important questioning. The cost of the maintenance is probably the biggest barrier.

Planning, foreseeing, and previously addressing those issues.

Five people.

Vision and targeting processes have already been addressed.

We don’t have any partnerships for now, and thus, we haven’t addressed our business model with any company or partner yet.

Partnership funding and resources. Donations. 

Partnership funding and resources. Donations. 

It is our way of participating in the changes happening within the planet.

Bodies and companies that have environmental, human, and civil sustainable initiatives. 

Our solution faces three problems that have been an integrating part of society throughout the past few decades. Our goal is to address all three problems: how to deal with the inclusion and re-establishment of people facing homelessness situations into society and how to provide them the basic of life conditions, the vacancy and improvement of public spaces, such as squares, streets, parks, and others, and the recycling of used and abandoned vehicles. Our solution intends to do that in a holistic, sustainable, multifaceted and innovative way.