California is home to sun, surf, and one of the most intense housing shortages in the country. Gov. Gavin Newsom campaigned on the promise to build millions of housing units, but as of November of last year, he was only 13% toward his ultimate goal, and that’s counting permits rather than builds. All kinds of solutions have been put forward by housing advocates, from tiny homes to selling homes to affordable housing nonprofits, to the simplest of all: zoning reform that allows more density.
But maybe the most unusual solution yet has just been floated—literally. Cal Poly Humboldt in Northern California is considering putting its students up on a barge eight miles away from campus, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. “There are simply not enough housing options available either on campus or in the community,” Cal Poly Humboldt spokesperson Grant Scott-Goforth told Fortune in a statement, adding that it’s also looking into three hotels to house students. This statement alone speaks to the dire housing shortage in California, as the campus is located in Arcata, a city with just around 18,000 residents, and surely enough space to keep students from the barge life.
