‍Last spring, Lancaster, California, a city on the edge of the Mojave Desert, opened a vibrant — almost Barbie-style — housing campus for residents experiencing homelessness.

The new community, named The Sierras, was designed by architecture firm Kadre Architects, and it wasn’t always so pink.

Purchased by homeless nonprofit Hope the Mission, the site was once occupied by the Sands Motel and the Tropic Motel, which designers say were “crime-ridden” and “completely dilapidated.”

Now, the 14,733-square-foot complex is home to 38 units with 152 beds, filled to capacity with families experiencing homelessness.

The campus includes housing, support services, a commercial kitchen that serves three meals a day to residents, exercise amenities, laundry facilities, a dog park, playground, basketball court, amphitheater, and essentials like air conditioning and heating, microwaves, and fully-furnished bathrooms.

Most shelters cater to individuals, but The Sierras are dedicated specifically to families. 

“The four-acre parcel in the desert is now a place of safety, dignity, and revitalization,” the Kadre team wrote on their website. 

“As a new housing prototype, The Sierra explores rapid conversion of existing hotel stock into transitional housing in a rural setting.”

The design of the campus is especially attractive, with vibrant pinks, greens, and blues utilized throughout. Play areas and patios are placed strategically throughout the micro-neighborhood, providing community gathering spaces and extending living quarters, which are only about 250 to 300 square feet each.

“They’re cramped rooms, and so one thing we thought was how do we expand the living space,” Kadre founder and architect Nerin Kadribegovic told Fast Company. “The biggest transformation is these solar porches in front of the building that create private, semi-private outdoor areas that essentially act as an extension of your room.”

Colorful pathways help maintain a sense of cohesion in the neon-hued housing units, as well.

“These meandering pathways are there to tie the place together,” Kadribegovic added. “Paint goes so far. We try to use these bright colors because you get a lot of bang for the buck visually.”

The bright colors are not just to maintain a sense of joy for families but also work to reflect solar heat gain, making desert living conditions cooler and more comfortable for residents. 

Solar panels were also part of the original design but had to be deferred to replace collapsed septic tanks instead. 

Still, designers and housing teams alike agree that the project has been a success.

“When your budgets are tight and you’re really driven to make an impact, it forces you to be more creative,” Kadribegovic said.

“This is one of the biggest things, being able to secure their own property, their own space, no one just barges in,” Hope the Mission area director Billy Nettles told Antelope Valley Press. “They don’t have to pay for anything.”

After opening to residents in March of 2024, The Sierras were at full capacity within two weeks, signifying the need for family-oriented transitional housing, allowing people to get on their feet and find a more permanent place to live.

“The opening of The Sierra’s shelter is a beacon of progress for Lancaster,” the city’s Mayor, R. Rex Parris, said in 2024.

“It’s more than a building; it’s a promise of home and hope.”

Hope the Mission is now looking to acquire more hotel and motel properties to expand its interim housing.

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Header image courtesy of Kadre Architects