H OM E L E S S N E S S
From unhoused to (tiny) home Pallet shelters provide new approach to addressing homelessness. BY HILLARY JACKSON
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Pallet shelters at the Restoration Christian Ministries Safe Outdoor Spaces, one of two tiny home communities The Salvation Army operates in Aurora, Colorado. |COURTESY AUSTIN FOOTE
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CARING 2023
ast year, Tim Mackay celebrated his 61st birthday in his apartment in Aurora, Colorado. For some, it would be a routine happening, but for Mackay, the moment signified more. After having undergone a season of being unhoused, he was home. While Mackay was still in the process of accumulating furniture and making the finishing touches, he said having a home of his own means a lot—it’s given him some solitude and a sense of security. “I love it,” he said. “I can’t quit smiling enough. It took a long time, but I’m back to having a permanent address. My own place with my own things in it—don’t have to worry about curfews, nothing.” Mackay said he was homeless for two years following a series of events that resulted in him and his roommates not receiving an invitation to renew their lease after their apartment complex was sold. Eventually, he said he ended up in several temporary shelters before finding the Restoration Christian Ministries (RCM) Safe Outdoor Spaces (SOS) in March 2022. The Salvation Army in Au-