There are lots of reasons why a company or organization may need to provide temporary housing to their employees, clients, or others. Insurance companies house their clients in temporary housing after total loss events such as fires or natural disasters, or even just while renovations are completed. Government, charity, and aid organizations may also need temporary housing in these situations, but also perhaps for refugees or victims of crimes. Construction crews and other work groups that move from site to site often house their employees and contractors in temporary housing.
That’s a lot of people staying in temporary housing! But what exactly is this type of housing? Temporary housing is any type of housing that is only intended to be occupied for a short period of time, such as a hotel/motel room, short-term home rental, shelter, tent, and as we will shortly explain, RVs. Companies and government organizations utilize various types of temporary housing simultaneously when trying to accommodate people in need or employees, but there are some issues, such as crime, lack of privacy, inadequate space, and more.
RVs offer a unique solution to many of the issues with traditional temporary housing. In this post, we’ll review our top 6 reasons to choose RVs as your company or agency’s temporary housing solution:
1. Privacy
There’s very little privacy to be had at a shelter, in a hotel, or in a tent community. Privacy, and the lack thereof, is probably the biggest complaint we hear from our clients when trying to find suitable temporary housing options for their clients. Just because a person or family has experienced a devastating event doesn’t mean that they’re going to be okay with giving up every shred of privacy they are accustomed to, and we believe that giving people in need privacy and respect is a big deal. Using RVs as temporary housing solves this privacy problem because we can set up our rental RVs right on the user’s own property, connecting to their existing electricity and plumbing. This allows them to maintain the same level of privacy they are used to while also not having to get used to an entirely new area, learn a new commute to work and/or school, find new schools for their children, and so on.
In situations where the RV cannot be set up on the user’s own property, it can still offer a higher level of privacy than some of the other temporary housing types. In a hotel/motel situation, you’re sharing a wall with another person. Tents are usually set up right on top of each other, with nothing but a thin fabric wall to shield sound. Shelters don’t even offer this, with people set up on cots right next to each other. Noise and disruption from neighbors in all of these scenarios is common. RVs, even in a community living situation, put space and walls between each family. That space acts as a buffer and allows each family to interact privately without fear of everyone knowing their business. We’ve found that when you respect a person’s privacy during hard times, you gain that person’s trust, which is the foundation for all good relationships.
2. Safety
Safety is another huge concern in temporary housing scenarios, since it seems that criminals are always looking to take advantage of people in these situations. If you remember the chaos after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, you’ll surely remember the reports of crime in shelters provided by FEMA and other organizations, from petty theft all the way up to serious assaults. Hotels and motels already have a reputation for being crime hotspots as well. No one wants to live somewhere where crime, drugs, and other nefarious activities are happening right outside their door. RVs allow people to stay on their own property, where they already feel safest.
3. Comfort
Another big disadvantage of most temporary housing options is that they cannot be tailored to the space needs of each family or work crew, so they feel cramped and uncomfortable. However, RVs come in all shapes and sizes, so we can send whatever size your employees or clients need so that they can live comfortably. People can deal with discomfort for a short while, but when you’re staying in temporary housing for 6+ months, having some room to stretch out becomes really important.
4. Affordability
The cost of housing has done nothing but the surge in recent years, and temporary housing is no different. As prices rise, employers and other companies that utilize temporary housing are scrambling to find options that are more affordable. RVs offer the biggest bang for their buck when you look at the benefits they offer.
5. Convenience
As mentioned before, our RVs can be set up right on the user’s own property (or in the case of work crews, directly next to the work site) so that the change associated with being displaced is minimized. If this isn’t possible, the RV can be set up in pretty much any location that meets the minimum requirements, even if electricity or plumbing isn’t available. No matter where you need temporary housing, RVs can get there.
6. Flexibility
So maybe your work crew is working on the East Coast this week, but plans to be down in Texas next week. Do they need to pack up everything and move to a completely new temporary housing? No! With RVs, temporary housing can travel with you! Other than a tent, there is really no other temporary housing option that offers the flexibility of movement that RVs do. From one side of the country to the other, our RVs can go wherever your temporary housing needs are located.
Nationwide RV Rentals from RV Housing Group
Ready to find out how RV Housing Group can save your organization time and money with cost-efficient, safe, and flexible RV housing? Give us a call at 1-800-656-8706, or contact us online to find out more about this unique temporary housing option today!