As I said in my previous post, Some Thoughts on Shelter, housing has become unaffordably expensive, even if you do happen to have a job.
Now being homeless is no longer reserved for the unemployed.
The search for somewhere to rest your head in between shifts (or jobs) can cause additional stress that most people don't need.
Paul Elkins developed an ingenious emergency shelter made with coroplast, a corrugated plastic most recognizable from it's use in political campaign yard signs.
According to his web site, the original prototype lasted for over 5 years in Washington State without degrading due to weather.
The biggest drawback I noticed from his videos was that it is horrendously noisy inside when it rains.
One way around this would be to do what Eliot Coleman did in his winter greenhouses, simply add another blanket on top.
This is an Outfitter and Guide tent from Shelter Systems.
The unique feature here is that it's not a true Buckminster Fuller Geodesic Dome, which is a good thing, because Geodesic domes, while people fawn over them, are notoriously complicated and/or expensive.
Shelter Systems' designs offer quick and easy set up (some in as little as 20 minutes) and are rugged.
Putting several of Paul Elkins' coroplast shelters inside of a Shelter Systems dome would provide excellent environmental protection (probably down into single digit temperatures) and also privacy for individual occupants.
Is it the American Dream?
Hell No, but it would beat sleeping in your car.