National Office Systems (NOS) is a minority-owned business with 8(a), Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE), and Small Business Enterprise (SBE) certifications

We appreciate that our clients let us share their storage success story

To be able to have a safe place to put precious personal items can bring true peace of mind. National Office Systems was honored to be able to provide lockers for the Patricia Handy Place for Women – the first of the five homeless shelters in development by the Bowser Administration. In Washington, D.C. there are over 7,000 homeless women and men and Mayor Muriel Bowser is actively pursuing change and providing solutions. The Bowser Administration has a plan to open a total of five new homeless shelters. This shelter is designed as an Emergency and Transitional Housing facility and provides women a safe place to live until more permanent housing can be arranged. Security is a main concern and now those with precious items that need safe keeping have a secure locker to place them in.

CHALLENGE

As a living facility, there was importance placed on having a non-utilitarian look. With four different floors enhanced by unique color schemes a solution needed to be found that would be unobtrusive and flow within the living space. In addition, linens and general supply storage shelving is required.

PROCESS AND SOLUTION

In order to secure the women’s treasured items, a locker system was provided that includes digital locks that could be used and secured by multiple users on a daily basis. Digital locks provide keyless use and security, reducing the problems primarily associated with lost and non-working keys. The digital locks are simple to use and help provide peace of mind for the 200 women staying at Patricia Handy Place for Women.

In order to provide a design aesthetic appropriate to the residential surroundings the lockers were created in different colors to match the theme and décor for each floor. The ability to choose the right design for the locker front is a feature NOS excels in due to their close working relationships with the manufacturer.

General use steel shelving was installed for the staff to store linens and other supplies for the shelter. In addition, the lockers and shelving, while from different manufacturers, were able to blend well with each other and create a well-functioning backdrop to the important work and function of the Patricia Handy Place for Women.

“This project was very special to me as this home and the lockers we provided offer peace of mind and a safe place for the homeless women in Washington, D.C. who now have a chance for a new start“  – Storage Specialist

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