The tiny home trend has been on the rise for those who want to live more modestly or sustainably, and now the movement is especially gaining traction for a very different group of people: the homeless.
That’s the aim for Tiny Houses Greensboro, Interactive Resource Center and other volunteer organizations in Greensboro, N.C., who are currently raising funds to build a 128 square-foot prototype home that includes a bedroom, a fully functioning bathroom and a kitchen in order to end homelessness in the area.
According to their IndieGogo campaign, once the first home is successfully constructed, the team plans to eventually build an entire tiny home village for 879 homeless residents that are currently living in tent communities and homeless shelters.
Most notably, these small spaces won’t just be built by the volunteers, but also by the people who will be living in them one day. The Huffington Post notes, the organizers held a “How to Build a Tiny House” workshop to teach homeless residents and community members how to erect framing for the prototype home.
MORE: Small Spaces, Big Ideas: 7 Tiny Homes With the Power to Transform How We Live
“The process of helping to create and build a home of your own provides people experiencing homelessness with greater dignity, self-respect, and the discipline to improve their lives substantially and more holistically,” Tiny Houses Greensboro says on their campaign.
“The person experiencing homelessness has got to put a lot of sweat equity into the house,” a member of the organization tells Fox 29 News. “You know, sometimes it takes a village. Well, there’s also a saying that says, ‘If it takes a village, build one.'”
We previously reported that tiny home projects for the homeless have popped up in Portland, Ore.; Madison, Wis.; Austin, Texas; and Newfield, N.Y.
The idea of “housing first” has been championed by anti-homelessness advocates. The idea is that housing the homeless can cost significantly less than leaving them on the streets. Per the National Alliance to End Homelessness, “homelessness causes illnesses and makes existing mental and physical illnesses worse, leading to expensive treatment and medical services. Permanent supportive housing improves physical and mental health, which reduces the need for these services, particularly expensive inpatient mental health care and hospitalization.”
It’s amazing how a tiny house can mean something so much bigger.
[ph]
DON’T MISS: Does It Take a (Tiny) Village to End Homelessness in America?
Tag: tiny home
A Fungus You’ll Want To Have Growing in Your Home
We’ve already heard about how the mighty mushroom can help clean a polluted river, but how about insulating homes? As Earth Techling reports, the New York-based company Ecovative Design has “grown” a home called the Mushroom Tiny House using the remarkably versatile roots of the mushroom — or mycelium — as insulation.
So how does it work? If you watch the video above, you’ll see that after the mushroom material is packed between wood boards, it’ll dry over the next couple of days, forming an airtight and extremely strong wall. The result is free of toxins or Volatile Organic Compounds and has a Class “A” fire rating, which means it’s highly irresistible to ignition.
MORE: There’s a Surprisingly Green Use for Styrofoam
Also, at $0.25/board foot, Ecovative’s mushroom walls could also be cheaper than other structural insulating panels that are usually filled with plywood, concrete or plastic foam. And because they require no studs, these walls could require fewer man hours and less equipment to put together. A planet and wallet friendly home — all thanks to the humble mushroom.
At Only 364 Sq. Ft., This Tiny Home Is the Start of Something Big
At Portland’s Garden Cottages, bigger is definitely not better. A few years ago, self-taught designers Jeffrey Gantert and Brad Bloom built two tiny cottages — each just 364 sq. ft. — on one full-sized suburban lot, outfitting them with details that matched the Victorian and Craftsman homes in the historic neighborhood. But these aren’t your average “mini-McMansions.” The Garden Cottages are constructed primarily with reclaimed materials. The outer walls are made of flattened tin cans, while the inner walls are lined with recycled Trader Joe’s bags — handles still attached. Bricks from an old chimney make up the homes’ foundations, while window planters are repurposed upside-down hood vents. With space-stretching design tricks inside, like a foldable table and a pop-up wine caddy, the homes are comfortable yet compact, and push the limit on the growing tiny-home movement.
[ph]
MORE: See the New Skinny Houses