The day of the build was rainy and windy. But Lane and some of his students had covered an area about 20 feet wide by 30 feet long with tarps that peaked about 20 feet high, supported by metal tubing and ropes, shielding the building process and the gathering of people from the community who came to watch it—a key element of the event—from the worst of the weather.

Shortly after 9 a.m., students in bright yellow vests streamed from the school building and set right to work unloading the truck and trailer that had carried the Hut components and tools from Eugene. Divided loosely into two groups, taking turns doing hands-on work and observing, some students dug holes for the circular pier blocks of the foundation, while others, demonstrating the strength of their young backs, muscled the blocks into place. The build was on. The CSS Hut Crew volunteers, well past their days of strong backs, stepped back to guide the students through the rest of the foundation and putting the two-piece floor together. Three or four wielded cordless drivers to attach the components to one another, and a couple used tape measures to make sure the floor sat properly on the foundation.

A crew moved eagerly to get the back Hut wall, the next component in the process, but a pause was called. The build was ahead of schedule. Media representatives and community members were scheduled to arrive at 10 and everyone wanted them to see the walls put in place, when the Hut literally takes shape.

When the process resumed, with the media present and a great turnout from the community, especially given the weather, the immediate area around the emerging Hut became a beehive of yellow-vested activity: drivers and saws and staple hammers and levels changing eager hands as the students placed and secured the walls, the front deck, the roof structure, interior and exterior insulation, the outer roof membrane, and finally a bed with a mattress: A finished Hut.

“I’m thrilled. I love it,” Laural says. When everything else was done, she, with a couple of the students helping, added a few extra amenities: a curtain, bed spread and pillow, LED light, wall hooks, and pavers for a pathway. “I wanted to make it feel homey and inviting to someone,” she says, adding to the “cuteness factor” of the Hut, “which is a big selling point.”

“I was amazed at how this came together,” she says. “The kids did a great job because they had good instruction. Everybody partnered as a team to do something to improve the plight of people in our community.”

“The kids loved being a part of it,” Lane of CHYBA says. “They loved working with [the CSS] guys. And they were excited about the project itself and the prospect of these things moving forward. They really liked the product. Everybody’s intrigued.” Lane and his students would love to be part of producing more Huts, including the components. The school facility includes a workshop with all the tools necessary.

Long-time CSS Hut Crew volunteer Jim Schmidt enjoyed the eager engagement of the CHYBA students. “The students in Redding were great to work with,” he says. “They were eager to learn, and enthusiastic and excited about the idea of helping people who have become homeless.”

There was also important work going on among the 50-60 people who, over the course of the morning, watched this process take place, building the awareness and connections necessary to turn this demonstration into an active solution.

“I was really pleased with the sample of people in our community that showed up,” Laural says. “We had political people, we had people that had been thinking about this for a long time and didn’t know what to do. We had friends of mine, we had people from agencies, and some government people. And, of course, the media, which really helps.”

CSS Project Coordinator Charles Castle spent most of his time sharing the CSS story with curious onlookers. “It was clear by the turnout that Laural was very motivated and she had the interest of the community,” he says. “It was a good crowd. Several community members were taking videos and asking questions and the media stayed for the whole event. Given the rainy weather we were particularly happy with the extensive covered area the people at CHYBA had prepared for us. We left Redding feeling really good about making the trip.”

Laural says one of the most memorable moments for her was when she saw two of the students in the Hut, after the lunch break as they were getting ready for the final stages of the build. “They were talking to each other, and they were excited about what they were doing. One of them said, ‘OK. Let’s get this Hut built and get it out to someone who’s homeless. Let’s go!’”

• Homeless advocate Redding City Councilwoman Kristen Schreder, who was at the build, has gathered enough support from other council members that the city’s development services director has agreed to a meeting and will research the zoning and permitting issues standing in the way of making Huts a part of Redding’s strategy to address homelessness.

• LifeSteps, a social service agency that focuses on helping people struggling with housing challenges, is “totally on board” to provide case management to future Hut residents, once funding becomes available

“I’m very encouraged by the progress we’ve made already,” Laural said just a few days after the Hut went up.

She still hopes to find a nonprofit organization that she can partner with that can provide oversight and be the fiscal agent for the project. And she knows funding will be a vital component. Before the build, she told the CSS crew, “I don’t have funding yet. But,” she said with a determined, no-one’s-going-to-slow-me-down smile, “I’m going to get it.” With the success of the Hut build changing the dynamics of the discussion about dealing with homelessness in Redding, there is no reason to doubt that she will.