New 3D-Printed Shelter Opens in SLO to Help Address Homelessness in Bob Jones Trail Area

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) - A new homeless shelter has opened in San Luis Obispo that is specifically intended to help address homelessness in the Bob Jones Trail area.

Welcome Home Village, located at the corner of Johnson Avenue and Bishop Street on what was formally part of the Bishop Medical Plaza parking lot, recently opened its doors to its first dozen residents.

The shelter has been created through a collaboration of San Luis Obispo County, the City of San Luis Obispo, Good Samaritan Shelter, DignityMoves and Azure Printed Homes.

Welcome Home Village includes 54 housing units that have been created using 3D technology, which has helped to reduce costs and accelerate delivery.

Gardena-based Azure Printed Homes said each home has been built through recycling approximately 150,000 recycled plastic bottles.

According to the County, Welcome Home Village is part of the larger Bob Jones Bike Trail Encampment Resolution Project, and has been made possible through a $13.4 million Encampment Resolution Fund grant awarded to County of San Luis Obispo County.

"This is what progress on homelessness looks like, giving people a real opportunity to move indoors and begin rebuilding their lives,” said San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors Chair Jimmy Paulding. "Welcome Home Village represents years of work, significant investment and strong partnerships. Most importantly, it is another example of how we are putting our Five-Year Plan to Address Homelessness into action, pairing housing with the services and accountability people need to move toward lasting stability."