Tiny houses aim to help homeless

The tiny house movement has been growing in popularity across the United States, as people seek to downsize and simplify their lifestyle.

Typically 500 square feet or smaller, tiny houses can range from low-cost units built from recycled shipping containers to expensive custom-designed homes whose prices are anything but tiny.

In comparison, the median size of new single-family homes built for sale in the United States last year was 2,598 square feet, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Tiny houses are getting attention recently as a solution to chronic homelessness. They can be built relatively quickly and for minimum cost, but can have a big impact on the life of someone struggling with a lack of stable housing.

Tiny house projects for the homeless have popped up in several U.S. cities, including Madison, Wis.; Ithaca, N.Y.; Olympia, Wash.; and Austin.

• The Madison effort grew out of the Occupy Madison movement. The group purchased property in December and got approval from the city council for a village of nine tiny houses.

"We were looking for something that homeless people could do to help themselves," said Brenda Konkel, an Occupy Madison board member.

Four of the houses are nearly done, Konkel said. Each is 98 square feet and costs about $4,500 to build. Residents share a central restroom and shower facility.

Similar to Habitat for Humanity, the residents who will be moving into the tiny houses are required to help build them, Konkel said.

"It really helps build self-esteem quite a bit," Konkel said.

• Just outside of Austin, a groundbreaking is scheduled for Wednesday on a 27-acre community for the chronically homeless.

Called Community First! Village, it will have about 100 lots for refurbished recreational vehicles, plus about 150 "microhomes" ranging from 144 square feet to almost 200 square feet, with a central shower and laundry facility.

The project is sponsored by Mobile Loaves & Fishes, which first purchased a used RV for a homeless person 10 years ago, said Alan Graham, president and CEO. The group now owns 60 RVs that are planted in private RV parks around Austin.

Graham said they've lifted 110 people out of homelessness in the last decade, and the vast majority have remained rent-paying residents.

The group wanted to build the new village inside the city of Austin, but it was met with strong resistance from neighbors, Graham said.

• In Newfield, N.Y., outside of Ithaca, businessman Carmen Guidi donated land and built a community of six tiny cottages for homeless residents. Guidi formed Second Wind Cottages and hopes to raise money to build a dozen more homes.

All of the cottages are occupied and there is a waiting list. There are plans to add a community center and a garden. Each home is built on a foundation and has a kitchen, full bath, heat and plumbing.

Having a stable home has substantially improved the lives of the residents, Guidi said.

"They've been getting a second chance where everybody else had given up on them," he said.

• In St. Cloud, Minn., a group of residents is working on a plan to build at least one tiny house for a chronically homeless person.

Advocate Tina Lamberts noted that there are several places in the community where people can get meals or stay in a shelter.

"What they really can't get is a place to call their own, and the privacy and dignity that comes with that," she said. "Really, the person needs the stability of a roof over their heads and knowing where they're going to be day after day."

The group hopes to build one tiny house about 100 square feet or smaller with volunteers and donated materials. It would be on wheels and could be parked in a yard or driveway, Lamberts said.

"I think we can build one small structure to start and see where that takes us," Lamberts said.

Nan Roman, president of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, said there's nothing wrong with the idea of building small or tiny houses to reduce housing costs.

"I think the challenges are going to be if the housing is substandard or doesn't meet building codes or isn't properly zoned," said Roman. Those rules and standards are designed to protect people's rights and keep them safe, she said.

There also can be a problem if it's not clear who owns the house, or whether there are adequate services for residents with mental health, substance abuse or other needs, Roman said. She said it's important that the housing is fair and decent, and not substandard.

"We wouldn't want to see places that are set aside for homeless people that wouldn't be OK for everybody else," Roman said.

Marohn also reports for the St. Cloud (Minn.) Times