HomeBAnx, 3D Printed Homes - Like the Foodbank But With Houses
Here's my radical new system of providing homes and hope
I say we need a better system than the white supremacist, capitalist zero-sum game we’re all playing. I continually talk and write about a “better way” a “new system,” well, it’s time for me to jump in and see what a “new way” could look like.
Canada has a housing crisis conjured by rising rents, spiraling home prices, impressively costly building materials, and a limited inventory of houses. If you’re homeless or under-housed, finding a home is a problem.
If you’re a Black Canadian without generational wealth, homeownership is a reality for only 48% compared to 73% for whites.
Over the next 10 years, my province of Ontario needs to add one million homes to keep up with population growth — expected to reach a density of 2.27 million people. Meeting these needs requires more homes than Ontario has ever built.
Currently, there’s a shortfall of 65,000 homes. With soaring rents, the steep cost of a home, and a low housing supply, the gap will grow as the population climbs.
We build approximately 70, 000 homes every year. Over ten years that’s 700, 000 homes if we continue at this pace. Combined with the shortfall that leaves us needing another 365, 000 homes just to keep up with population growth.
As rents rise and people are pushed to the margins and eventually to the streets, we must recognize we must do more to meet people’s needs
Should we expect developers to meet this demand while simultaneously creating “low-income” housing?
So far the usual ways of housing people haven’t worked, — that being a mix of market and low-income housing built by developers. By the time recent increases in materials are added to a build the low-income unit is already out of reach for many people.
Developers in Canada struggle to build low-income housing. Or maybe it’s because that’s not their business model so they’re dragging their feet.
We need a new model
The new model I propose is free. Build the houses and give them to those who need them. Beautiful. structurally sound, energy-efficient homes.
A foodbank for homes. A HomeBAnx.
We need a builder who’s dedicated to constructing homes for the non-primary market.
I’m working to put together a COOP model that uses 3D printing technology to build homes for 3 core groups:
to be the “developer” dedicated to building in this sector. So, that’s where I put myself. And before you ask, nope, I’ve got zero experience building houses or developments. As a matter of fact, never trust me to install your light fixtures.
But I do have tons of experience building and leading teams to do what I can’t.
And that’s just what I’m doing.
Earlier this year I was accepted into a woman’s entrepreneur program. I went in thinking I would do Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI), but I knew it wouldn’t work. Because the way I want to do DEI isn’t what most companies would want.
“Kay,” they would ask, “how can we make the environment a better fit for BIPOC?”
First off, increase their pay. Double it from where it is, take the highest amount and pay everyone that money. Now, we’ll have to work to remove you from power because you suck.
Do you see? That attitude, that solution, that wasn’t about to fly for businesses.
Besides I knew before I started the incubator that anyone who needed to call me in for a DEI consult wasn’t a company I wanted to work with. It sounds odd, I get it. I simply didn’t want to work with anyone who had to be convinced to implement authentic DEI so they could check off a box marked “done.”
I’m a panther when it comes to racism and equity and I don’t like to waste time with those who aren’t serious about ridding the world of white supremacy and its cri de coeur of power and violence.
So, I tried hard, to want to make DEI my work, I really did. But I couldn’t thread together any enthusiasm for it. The bottom line is, I don’t believe DEI was designed to achieve authentic change for Black people. Rather, it’s been brought forward as a salve for white consciences.
I asked myself how I would feel if I didn’t try to implement my real dream, which is to build houses for Black people and the homeless. To provide beautiful, structurally sound homes that they own at no cost to them. Homes where they could immediately access the equity to craft their lives as they see fit.
I knew what I wanted to do, it just seemed impossible. It still does.
I believe shelter is a human right, so does the United Nations.
Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
Even though Canada has done a lousy job at ensuring its citizens are housed, Canada has also declared housing is a Human Right.
We know housing is security. Our physical, mental, and emotional well-being stem from having this safe and secure place to rest one’s head. If we believe the right to housing is as fundamental as the right to food, water, and air, then, to me, it stands to reason homes and the ownership of them should be freely available.
Meaning, at zero cost to the “buyer.”
And that’s what I’m exploring. Establishing a business that uses 3D printing to build and give away the homes at no cost to three core groups:
The under-housed
Those experiencing homelessness
Marginalized Black Canadians — to build generational wealth
3D House Printing
We’ll 3D Print the homes. Doing so gives us an immediate cost savings of 12–13% over a traditional build, with more robust materials. On a million-dollar home, those are significant savings.
3D printing immediately replaces the job of building walls, all the walls — so that’s no longer handled by the traditional wood frame process.
When we’re up to speed and at scale a single printer will lay 70,000 square feet every year. At full capacity, we expect to print 3.5 million square feet a year. At 1200 square feet a home that’s 2,916 homes every year.
The technology is advancing quickly with COBOD the manufacturer researching options to further find solutions to lower the building costs.
At the moment, I’m building community engagement as per my plan. I’ve made contacts and created interest. I’ve dived into 3D Printing tech and I’m hooked.
The 3D printer we’re working with (we don’t have the printer yet!) is the fastest on the market. Because the process uses concrete as the building material the resulting homes are of a higher quality than a standard build.
HomeBAnx
3D printing is an emerging technology. It has the potential to disrupt the $141 billion dollar construction market. It’s new tech, there’s still research to be spread among businesses who have the house printer. In other words, there’s an opportunity to create intellectual property.
The technology gives you the power to construct using a laptop after you go through the training program. As the technology advances system operators may become highly sought after.
Trades will still be required for plumbing, electricity and to install windows, doors, and floors. Although, I’ll be pushing for in-floor electric heating with polished concrete to eliminate the extra step of installing another floor on top of the concrete.
Why I can do this
Hear me psyching myself up? That’s because I’m asking myself if I’m the right person for this job. I’ve answered the question with a ‘yes’ but I think I need to dig deeper into whether or not I can really do this.
I’ll examine this more in the next story as this one is already long enough!
I’m going for funding which is already difficult to access as a Black person. Add “woman” and I’m not a builder and this goal seems impossible to accomplish. I’ll also discuss funding in detail in another story. For now, the condensed copy.
Years earlier, before I divorced, I founded and operated my own eco renovation showroom in Toronto. We imported ethical, environmentally responsible building products. We designed and built additions, kitchens, and baths for Toronto’s toniest neighbourhoods. After my divorce, I lost everything (including my kids).
Today, I have the kids, but not the business and I no longer want a storefront. I want to go directly to building homes and to provide them to three core groups:
The under-housed
Those experiencing homelessness
Marginalized Black Canadians — to build generational wealth
The business will be a community COOP called HomeBAnx.
HomeBAnx- Like the Foodbank but for Houses
Love or hate it my tagline, let me know.
Why is the ‘B’ and ‘A’ capitalized? That’s my own secret code — it stands for Black Achievement.
Social Impact
At scale, we’ll create approximately 1200 highly paid and trained jobs. We’re providing a tangible asset and we’re retaining a small but hardy interest in the homes. Why? To share the market ups and downs with the owners. We’ll be invested in building and maintaining vibrant communities and we’ll build wealth for the community.
The project is about investing in and not extracting wealth. Everyone at the COOP will be on salary, including me. As wealth accrues the COOP community will determine how to best use it. Although, I already have a few ideas.
The COOP will be dedicated to employing a 90% Black workforce with key leadership positions filled with Black women.
That’s the dream and the goal. I’m hopeful that if I can’t do make this happen, someone else can.
Slide Deck Presentation
At month’s end, I’m in a competition for a teeny bit of seed money. My fear is I won’t get it because my idea is too extreme, and the gatekeepers for the funds may not understand why we’re not following a capitalist model. While I’m looking forward to knocking at their societal indoctrination I fear their revenge will be to say a firm “No” to me.
If the business does win the funds, the money will set up the social media and website. It’ll enable me to focus on building my steering team and bringing in partners.
If I don’t get the funds, I know I’ll question whether I’m on the right path for me. I’ll be down for a bit, so I’m preparing now for the worst. I’ve already put contingencies into place to combat the inevitable sense that I’m somehow a failure because the first baby steps didn’t go how I wanted.
Even with my preparations in place, I know that might not be enough to move past the letdown, so writing about this process is another measure of safeguarding my ego.
I’ve gained entry into another incubator for Black people so, that’s the road to travel with or without the seed money.
Next Story: Why I’m the right person for the job and why I hadn’t written for a while.
Next Steps: I’m off to see a 3D Print in person in late March.
Next Next: I present my Deck for a teeny bit of seed funding at the end of the