ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — An Englewood man who’s operated a homeless ministry for several years is hoping a new portable shelter he created will help provide some protection for people without a home this winter.
“After seeing so many people be homeless and not having the opportunity to protect themselves or their items, I wanted to come up with something,” said Dutch Seyfarth, the founder of Bike Shelters.
Seyfarth said the structures are waterproof and can be easily pulled by a bike.
“This is essentially just a very rugged heavy-duty bicycle trailer that’s big enough for a human being to sleep in,” Seyfarth said. “I’ve created one that’s out of a steel frame. It’s much lighter with higher performance wheels, but it costs a lot more.”
Seyfarth said he’s put a lot of effort into making bike shelters a low-cost option.
He also created one out of industrial polymer that’s heavier but less expensive.
“Between $300 and $500 depending on how many we build at once,” said Seyfarth.
According to Seyfarth, Bike Shelters kits only take 15 to 20 minutes to assemble and he sells them to companies or nonprofits who want to donate a bike shelter to someone in need.
“We don’t pretend to have all of the solutions, but we just want to come up with something that’s affordable, that brings basic shelter and helps these people out,” said Seyfarth.
Seyfarth said in communities like Englewood, homelessness is a problem that may not have one blanket solution. But he’s hoping to provide a little help, one shelter at a time.