Project based in the Upper Valley, NH.
Dates Active: June 2019 – present
About: The Cot Project is working with the Upper Valley Haven homeless shelter to give them an alternative to their current cots for overnight clients. The shelter has limited space, using the same room for dining and day to day operations as sleeping. As a result, they must arrange and store the foldable camping cots they currently use every day. These beds break from such intensive use, are heavy to move around, take a long time and lots of effort to unfold every night, and are often wobbly to sleep on.
Our solution is to provide the Haven with stackable cots. That way, the cots take up the same amount of storage space, but are much easier to set up every day, and they should last a very long time since there are no moving parts. This season, we sent a new prototype cot to the Haven and received good feedback. We are planning on moving forward with our current design with a couple small improvements, which we plan to flesh out this term.
Status Update from team lead: The Upper Valley Haven is an incredible organization that really improves the lives of hundreds of people. The Cot Project is really important because it allows the Haven staff to spend their time on things that really matter, like providing resources to the Haven clients, instead of struggling to set up and repair their current cots. The cots will be more stable, cleaner, more bedbug resistant, and more comfortable in order for people to feel more comfortable in shelters and better able to rest. In addition, the Cot Project will save the Haven hundreds to thousands of dollars by getting them more durable cots that can be used for improved community care. It is crucial for Dartmouth students to share their skills and give back to the local community.
Current Members Involved:
Abby Wilson (’22) : team lead
Allison Macleod (’23)
Love Tsai (’23) : distribution and outreach
Past Members:
Photos:
Blog Updates