John Pfeifer was almost ready to give up on his idea to help homeless veterans.
His dream of creating affordable housing, it turns out, was going to be too expensive. No one could build tiny homes out of shipping containers like he wanted for a price that made sense.
“Is this ever gonna happen?” Pfeifer said. “Is there anyone that can make it happen?”
Then Pfeifer, 61, met two brothers — Sam and Hamed Nouri — who said they were up to the challenge.
“The next day, we started building this,” said Sam, 40, gesturing to the interior of a fully furnished shipping container home.
The Nouri brothers have completed two model homes made from shipping containers. One is 8 feet by 40 feet, and the other is 8 feet by 20 feet. They’re sitting in a lot outside of a warehouse on the south side. Each has an American flag printed along the side.
This work isn’t new for the Nouris. They started their company, 8Forty, with a third partner about a year and a half ago to build luxury tiny homes. Now, with the prototypes complete, Hamed, 47, said they could build up to a dozen of the 40-foot tiny homes per month.
That’s good news for Pfeifer, a workplace safety consultant who’s decided to take on an issue that seems to never go away. There were 125 veterans experiencing homelessness during an annual count in January.
“We just want to provide the home they need,” Pfeifer said.
How much would these container homes cost?
The Nouris don’t have pricing finalized for their container homes. But the goal is to sell them to Pfeifer at around $40,000 for the smaller option and $60,000 for the larger.
Pfeifer would purchase them through his foundation, SCHV, or Shipping Container Homes for Veterans.
Before any of that happens, though, Pfeifer needs land.
“There’s a shortage of lots,” he said.
Pfeifer said as little as 0.17 acres — or 7,400 square feet — would work for the 40-foot home. He’s hoping to find offers from people with lots to sell, or through the city’s land bank.
Aside from somewhere to put the home, Pfeifer needs to raise more money. He said it takes about $100,000 to do everything from buying a home to preparing the land and setting up utilities.
And to keep the home affordable for someone experiencing homelessness, Pfeifer’s foundation essentially needs to supply a subsidy.
His plan is to offer flexibility to the buyer: They could rent or buy the home. They could also rent on contract, meaning Pfeifer could eventually flip them into a mortgage and use the paid rent as a down payment.
“It’s just easier for them,” he said. “It’s a way for them to get into something, and they don’t have to go through bank qualifying and stuff like that.”
‘There’s just something about being in the military’
Helping veterans is personal for Pfeifer, although he didn’t serve in the military. His parents wouldn’t let him.
But some of Pfeifer’s family members have served. His dad was in the National Guard.
“There’s just something about being in the military, being a veteran, being a soldier,” he said. “There’s a lot of respect.”
In thinking about why the problem of veteran homelessness hasn’t been solved, Pfeifer found the missing piece is affordability. That’s what he’s trying to provide.
“If I can’t be in the military and I can’t fight for the country,” Pfeifer said, “I can fight for the ones that did.”
Pfeifer said he’s planning for a grand opening with 8Forty next spring.
If you’re interested in sharing information or resources for his project, Pfeifer can be reached at 317-809-5181.
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Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers housing and labor. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick and Bluesky @tyfenwick.bsky.social.
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