Jordan Szigeti-Larenne could see the homeless in and around Orange County and he wanted to do something to help.
The 17-year old Irvine resident and Woodbridge High School student had always been interested in fixing and building things, so he went to work. With his father’s tools and many trips to local building supply and hardware stores, he pieced together his portable wheeled “Homes2Go.”
“I’m so lucky to be fortunate to have a home, and I wanted to be able to give a little back to those less fortunate,” he said. “I’ve seen them, and it doesn’t look like a very fun way to live life.”
The cart that he conceived and built is portable with a folding cot for sleeping, a bucket as a latrine, a small table for eating and storage areas. He made sure to take someone’s privacy into account with a tarp that can deploy on a frame over the cot and the bucket bathroom.
On Tuesday, Feb. 23, Jordan and his “Homes2Go” were at the Los Angeles Mission to be honored with their inaugural “Community Impact Award.”
“Jordan exemplifies what the spirit of the mission is all about, really being of service to people that are less fortunate than ourselves,” said Los Angeles Mission President and CEO Troy Vaughn.
“I see homeless people in Newport and all those areas,” Jordan said, “and I wanted to improve their lives somehow, and this is the only way I know-how.”
The device came together for about $200 per unit, he said.
Vaughn — who was unhoused for seven years before entering a mission in 1992 and dedicating his life to others’ service — had high praise for the cart and its creator.
“We all have to use the restroom, and we like to use the restroom in dignity,” he said. “And so what Jordan has done is provided dignity to people living on the street. He has thought of everything, and that only comes from someone who actually cares.”
To help Jordan build more “Homes2Go”: Gofundme