PUEBLO — A new company in Pueblo hopes to minimize the affordable housing crisis by building modular homes out of shipping containers.
On Monday indieDwell, an Idaho-based company, will officially start production at a facility near Elizabeth and 2nd Street - taking one of its first shipping containers and turning it into a home for someone in need.
On Thursday General Manager of indieDwell Colorado Ron Francis showed News 5 around the facility. He said, "This is an example of a standard Model 6 home that we manufacture...there's such a need for it...I've heard, even just recently, that Pueblo will need 1,900 affordable housing units in the next two years."
The solution might just lie in these modular homes.
Francis said, "We take it. We cut it out and then put some more steel in to reinforce it and then we turn it into the beautiful homes that are behind us for anything up to four bedrooms."
Depending on the size Francis said, "We can make up to 800 a year."
The price of one home ranges from $40,000 to $125,000.
Francis said, "We have 14 units going through during July. We will employ 40 people by the end of July."
He shared that the company is still hiring - a welcome opportunity to those who might be looking for employment right now.
He said, "Part of our mission is to actually help people out so we will take skilled trades people plus entry-level and teach them a trade while they're here."
We're told the company doesn't market these homes so it's working with different organizations like NeighborWorks Southern Colorado on where these modular homes will be installed. We'll keep you updated.
