Tiny homes are a popular new option on the market. The environmentally friendly design, small footprint and low living costs attract many homeowners to go tiny. People are jumping on board with the movement primarily for these reasons, maximizing their lifestyle by going small. Instead of living large, we are seeing a rise in downsizing, more and more people are choosing homes less than 400 square feet.
The tiny home movement isn’t just reaching the creative minded and the down-sizers, it’s also making it’s mark fighting social justice. Cities across the U.S. are building tiny home villages in areas of low-socioeconomic status in an effort to alleviate poverty. Although they share the same goal, tiny house neighborhoods differ from one another, offering varied amenities and catered toward different age groups. But, in the end, they all serve to provide housing for the less fortunate.
Dignity Village- Portland, OR
The oldest running of its kind, Dignity Village in Portland, Oregon is a community for the homeless in the area. The self-governed community is made up of 43 tiny homes. All of the homes have been built using recycled and reclaimed materials, ensuring sustainability and low costs. Residents have a two-year maximum stay in order to reach as many citizens in need of housing as possible. Each resident pays a $35 a month fee for their home, and private donations and micro-business revenues also help to fund the community. Dignity Village provides shelter for 60 people a night, serving to provide transitional housing, an experiment to end homelessness.
Dignity Village- Portland, OR
Othello Village- Seattle, WA
A city-authorized encampment village provides a short-term housing solution for the homeless. The entire site houses up to 100 people with 28 tiny homes and 12 ‘platformed tents’. Occupants share a kitchen, shower trailer and donation hut along with a village security booth. Materials for the 96 square foot homes cost about $2,000 each, the building of the housing, courtesy of volunteers. The city of Seattle pays around $160,000 a year to provide the village with water, garbage services, as well as on-site counseling. Heat and electricity exist in the homes because of donations from both individuals and organizations.
Othello Village- Seattle, WA
Beloved Village- Denver, CO
Beloved Community Village is Denver’s first tiny homes project, a community of 11 homes, housing up to 22 people. The village serves to provide shelter for those experiencing homelessness in Denver. This particular tiny home community is very unique, putting an emphasis on self-empowerment and the importance of community for it’s residents. Beloved Village is like others of it’s kind, democratically self-governed, providing a safe place and somewhere to come home to at the end of the day. The community hopes this initiative helps to provide an effective solution to issues of homelessness in the area. A place to renew their purpose, restore dignity, and most importantly, have a roof over their heads.
Beloved Village- Denver, CO
Tiny home villages for the homeless are a fairly new phenomenon, with under 20 existing throughout the U.S. The social experiment strives to alleviate poverty and provide a solution for the issue of homelessness evident in the country. This is the first step to assist the less fortunate, offering shelter and a home for those who need it most.
