After putting wheels on the abode to make it portable, he decided to give it to a homeless couple one cold and rainy night

California Man Builds Portable Shelters on Wheels for Oakland's Homeless: 'I Wish That I Could Help Them All'

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Gregory Kloehn was turning a condemned building in Oakland, California, into condominiums in 1998 when he noticed that some of the homeless people camping near his project had built themselves small shelters with cardboard, two-by-fours and sheets of plastic.

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Every morning, when he returned to his job site, city sanitation workers would come by and clear the hovels away, forcing the occupants to go in search of new materials and rebuild from scratch.

“I admired how they threw them together every day and didn’t give up,” Kloehn, 45, tells PEOPLE. “As I watched them go in search of new garbage to build with, something clicked. I thought, ‘I wonder if I could build a home like that in a few days with throwaway supplies that I found on the streets?’ ”

One week and $50 later, using an old box-spring mattress as a base, walls made from old futon frames, a camper shell as a roof and a refrigerator door for a front door, Kloehn’s first miniature home was finished.

After putting wheels on the abode to make it portable, he decided to give it to a homeless couple one cold and rainy night.

“I handed them the keys and some champagne and they immediately started debating what color to paint it,” Kloehn remembers with a laugh. “They were so grateful and it made such a huge difference for them to have a shelter they could take with them. I knew right then that I was on to something.”

Eighteen years later, with help from volunteers, Kloehn has made more than 50 portable homes with unique touches such as Victorian color schemes, mailboxes and hardwood floors, through his Homeless Homes Project, using recycled supplies found on Oakland’s streets.

“Contractors illegally dump their stuff on the street so they don’t have to pay to take it the dump,” he tells PEOPLE, “so I have no problem finding two-by-fours, plywood, shelving, shingles and paint. Last time I checked, I had 150 gallons of perfectly good paint. Nothing goes to waste.”

Oakland City officials applaud Kloehn’s efforts, even though they wish they could get people off the streets permanently rather than support short-term solutions.

“Greg’s a great guy – although the portable homes don’t get at the root of homelessness, they do provide better shelter than a tent,” Joe DeVries, assistant to the Oakland City administrator, tells PEOPLE. “And they’re also giving unsheltered people a higher sense of safety.”

Married with two teenage sons (his wife, Erica, teaches children’s theater), Kloehn, who works as a “jack of all trades” when he isn’t building mini homes, donates many of his creative shelters to single homeless women or people with health issues.

“I try to give them to people who I know really need them and will keep the homes and not try to sell them,” he says. “I ask only one thing: That if their situation changes and they no longer need it, that they give it somebody else who does. I want them used for people – not for dogs or some kid’s playhouse. So far, people have been pretty good about honoring that.”

Having a home that is off the ground away from rats, insects, wind and rain has made a huge difference to Rhonda Davis, 62, who became homeless after losing her job eight years ago. Kloehn built her haven around an old satellite dish.

“It’s a blessing to have my little home – Greg’s kindness has given me a stepping stone on my path to recovery,” Davis tells PEOPLE. “When I lock my little door at night, I go to sleep with peace of mind.”

Adds Sheila Williams, 58, homeless for 17 years: “This little house of mine on wheels is a dry and warm place to sleep and a place where I can feel comfortable and safe. It’s the best gift anybody has ever given me. I wake up every morning feeling grateful.”