Tiny Houses for the Homeless:

An Unconventional Medium for Innovative Societal Problem Solving Strategies

We at OSB acknowledge that the housing and homelessness crisis in America can be a fraught conversation. We also want to acknowledge that there are evidence-based solutions, Housing First being the key one, that our neighborhoods, states, and country need to be investing in. Tiny homes may serve as a supplemental solution in the meantime as we work towards a better future for all of us, but this blog in no way means to propose that they are the best solution for our current climate. Instead, we are using them as a case study to examine how different solutions can be approached with methods like partnerships, pilots, and community support.

You can hear some of our other thoughts on housing and homelessness here: https://www.orangesparkleball.com/0_blog/2022/3/4/public-health-homelessness

The "Tiny House Movement” is an architectural and cultural phenomenon built on the idea of downsizing both worldly possessions and living spaces to under 400 square feet. The housing trend gained substantial traction in the United States amid the 2008 housing market crash. The idea of living in a tiny house was an eccentric luxury for some but born out of necessity for many. These miniature homes are being looked at as a unique way to combat the rising homeless population in the United States, but tiny houses are not and should not be viewed as the sole solution to the homelessness crisis. Rather, they offer a unique exploration of how private/public partnerships, community buy-in, and innovative pilot programs challenge what progress looks like.

Seattle, Washington has one of the highest rates of homelessness per capita in the United States. In response, the Seattle government has developed one of the most established tiny house village pipelines in the country, relying heavily on private partnerships to operate.

A tiny house village can vary in type. Some villages are complete homes with internal plumbing and kitchens, often constructed with long term residence in mind. Other villages are constructed as transitional housing units containing just a bed and some storage with bathrooms and kitchens shared between residents. These types of villages typically have wraparound services such as counselors and case workers who guide residents to locate more permanent housing. The Seattle city government has employed the latter model and has funded over nine tiny house villages with this framework. In 2021, the city one-time funded the construction of three tiny house village projects: Friendship Heights Tiny House Village, Rosie’s Tiny House Village, and Interbay Tiny House Village.

The city enlisted the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI), a nonprofit organization, to operate the villages and provide wraparound onsite services that the city could not supply. This partnership resulted in LIHI reporting that their “median length of stay is just 114 days, and 65% of [their] clients exit the program within 6 months,”(LIHI). The city demonstrates the interesting possibilities of providing one-time funding to a project and relying on a private partner for operational assistance.

In Austin, Texas, The Community First! Village run by Mobile Loaves & Fishes does not depend on government funding at all. By using their already established credibility as a prominent non-profit and constantly working to connect their residents to others, Mobile Loaves & Fishes has been able to garner substantial community support to finance projects and help the village prosper. Over $18 million dollars for the initial build and $6 million for annual operating expenses was supplied solely by donors.

In addition to the philanthropists, several community organizations also contribute to the village. Services supplied by Austin-Travis County EMS, the Homeless Outreach Street Team, the Salvation Army, and others support the residents and prevent the village from feeling isolated from the surrounding area. In addition, the village has ten tiny houses listed on Airbnb and a movie screening area open to the public to allow visitors to connect to the small town and locals. The members of the Community First! village also have the opportunity to connect with the community and earn a living through selling handmade goods and art or providing mechanic services through the onsite garage. The extensive resident contact coupled with the reputation of Mobile Loaves & Fishes has made the village not just accepted but a source of pride for people in the area. Along with funding from Love, Tito's, the philanthropic arm of Tito's Handmade Vodka, support from the community has allowed the Community First! Village to announce their plans to expand 1,400 micro homes starting in 2022. The Community First! village serves as a model on how to generate community acceptance of an unconventional project.

In contrast to the city of Seattle’s tiny house villages and the Community First! Village in Austin, the city of Los Angeles has explored a different way to create tiny houses for the homeless through the construction of accessible dwelling units (ADUs). ADUs are structures constructed alongside a primary residence, and they provide the opportunity for homeowners to capitalize on one of the most valuable assets they have: their land. The city launched a program in which homeowners are given a 10-year forgivable loan of up to $75,000 to build an ADU and make a commitment to rent the ADU to a homeless family/individual or participant in the housing choice voucher program.

Right now, Los Angeles County is piloting the program with 3 homeowners assisted by the technical consulting firm LA Más. LA Más designs and builds initiatives that promote neighborhood resilience and elevates the agency of working class communities of color. Their role has been to develop and manage the homeowner selection process and guide homeowners while financing, designing, permitting, and constructing an ADU on their property. The three houses were slated to be completed in summer of 2019. If this partnership triumphs, Los Angeles could be the blueprint for collaboration between city, homeowner, and design firm - a collaboration responsible for piloting the city’s progressive initiatives.

The implementation of tiny houses offers a wide array of experimental ways to aid the homelessness crisis through private and public partnerships, focus on community buy-in, and pilot programs. These avenues can also be used to explore the possibilities of innovating for other time-sensitive issues like habitat restoration, public health care access, and caregiving services.

LIHI: https://www.lihihousing.org/tinyhouses

Rosie’s Tiny House Village: https://humaninterests.seattle.gov/2021/10/18/rosies-tiny-house-village-opens/

Interbay Tiny House Village: https://humaninterests.seattle.gov/2021/11/16/expansion-of-interbay-tiny-house-village-provides-30-new-units-of-shelter/

Friendship Heights Tiny House Village: https://humaninterests.seattle.gov/2021/12/01/benu-community-home-and-friendship-heights-tiny-house-village-open/

Writing by Lauren Duderstadt, Design Strategy Intern at Orange Sparkle Ball, Inc.