SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Affordable housing has long been an issue in the Bay Area. While the pandemic offered some respite to housing costs, rents have slowly crept back up, and people are struggling to find housing.
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But one Palo Alto house, the "pod house" has created an alternative solution.
For nearly a thousand dollars a month, residents of this house on Ramona Street can rent out a "sleeping pod," which is essentially a bunk bed. There are 14 spaces available in this typically three-bedroom, two-bathroom single-family home.
In the space, there are two rows of bunk beds. Each has a light, a fan, and a space for a laptop.
"It's like my own little space," said Christina Lennox, who lives here and is a co-founder of Brownstone Shared Housing, which operates the pod house. "It's like a cocoon."
She and the other residents seem happy with the setup, saying they've never slept better, despite being just inches from one another.
The house also includes a kitchen, two bathrooms, a television room, and shared office spaces. All of this, including the pods, run for about $800 a month.
"We actually rarely have a vacancy," said CEO of Brownstone Shared Housing James Stallworth. According to Stallworth, while also affordable, the pods are definitely better than the alternative.
"People are commuting three hours each way to get to work," he said. "We really make it possible for them."
Residents of the neighborhood have adjusted to the alternative housing setup.
"As long as they have bicycles and not 14 cars," said neighbor Mary Chapel, whose only concern would be not enough parking.
Fortunately for Chapel, most residents are bike riders and store their bikes in the backyard. According to Stallworth, the company is abiding by all housing regulations, and hopes to set up more pod houses soon.
"We don't see this as fundamentally that different compared to just a group of Stanford students renting a home," he said. "The only difference is that we've added this furniture that allows people to do that in a way that's appealing with more people."
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