HomeStretch, Inc. unveiled their new Learning Lab last week. HomeStretch is a non-profit organization in Fulton County, Georgia that provides supportive housing and programs that help working families regain and sustain permanent housing. The Learning Lab, constructed from a transformed shipping container, will provide a common study area for an after school program.

Because it is situated in the neighborhood where HomeStretch families live, it is within walking distance of the children who need it. Tutors will meet with students to assist with their course-work and keep them on or above grade level. With the current COVID-19 pandemic, the lab couldn’t come at a better time as students will be able to attend school in the Lab so their parents can continue to work during the day.

The project was the vision of Talaya Parker, HomeStretch’s Executive Director,  Robert Hagan, Board President, and Gordon Owens, Roswell Rotary President. The Roswell Rotary Club with a District Grant of $10,000 turned the vision into a reality with the help of their Board and partners Millard Architects, W.S. Nielsen Co., Moncrief HVAC, Meer Electric, Kee Designs, Civil Logistics, and Lummus Building Supply.

The uses for the Rotary Learning Lab will continue to grow, allowing HomeStretch to write new grant requests for additional educational programs.

The project team flew the container via crane in between houses onto concrete piers.  The front door and windows were cut out of the steel and an interior tension system attached to the floor so they did not have to perforate the walls of the building.  The free-floating system actually presses against itself to help hold itself in place.  Volunteers and Rotarians donated finishes and built out the interior.

Originally, the container was not going to be on a pier foundation, the r-design and permit, which took about a year, were largely thanks to the help of the architect and Roswell Building Department.