Big, new ideas are scary. They’re naturally bold, usually non-existent and always come with doubt. Will it work? Does it have legs? How do we pull it off? Is it worth it? Imagine a world with no electricity. No cars. No computers, and –gasp!– no Facebook?!
All of these inventions were once just figments conjured up by the imaginations of wild-eyed inventors, big thinkers, and dreamers.
While an outlandish idea might first sound absurd, it’s worth deeper investigation, or so thinks local entrepreneur Ken Capron. The ever-expanding city of Portland, Maine, USA, has been experiencing the growing pains of every thriving city – and that’s an escalating rent. With the cost of living soaring, affordable housing is taking a big hit, rendering the people at the bottom of the list homeless and crippled by the staggering effects of rent; it shows no sign of slowing down.
While officials are spinning their wheels trying to come up with a solution, Ken has an idea that can solve everything, or so he thinks. He wants to buy an old, abandoned cruise ship and fix it up to provide adequate housing solutions to the people who need it. And, there’s no worry about finding a location! The ship would remain permanently docked.
Ken explains further, “We’re looking at four populations: the homeless population, the low-income population, the workforce population and immigrant population who all need housing. They all need job skills training. We would offer that on board.”
The ship would be rejuvenated, completely repurposed, and split up into five different decks to accommodate different needs. Each of the decks would be equipped with no less than 100 housing units offering ample living, learning and working space that doesn’t need additional (and valuable!) land. The infrastructure would require updates and the creature comforts of home would need to be renovated, but all the necessities are there. And then some, like pools, gyms, etc.
The mayor has been informed. “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,” mayor Ethan Strimling commented.
There are plenty of moving parts and factors to consider, but the estimated $5-100 million dollar project aptly named, “Hope Harbour” is in talks of potentially coming to life. And it could be the answer to the prayers of over a thousand people.
Click on the video below to learn more about this truly bold idea.
