Tiny homes, built largely with philanthropic support, offer more patch than solution to homelessness
In response to a nationwide crisis that has left more than 650,000 people without housing, 100 tiny home villages for the homeless have opened in the United States over the past five years
In response to a nationwide crisis that has left more than 650,000 people without housing, 100 tiny home villages for the homeless have opened in the United States over the past five years.
That growth, from just 34 in 2019 to 123 today, represents a quadrupling, according to data collected by Yetimoni Kpeebi, a researcher at Missouri State University. At least 43% of these villages are privately funded through donations from philanthropists, businesses, and corporations, Kpeebi said.
Sobrato Philanthropies, run by billionaire Silicon Valley developer and philanthropist John Sobrato, and other groups such as the James M. Cox and Valhalla foundations have been helping to fund tiny home villages in San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, and other expensive California cities. The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation is a key donor behind a 51-acre tiny home community in Austin, Texas. And in rural North Carolina, the Oak Foundation has supported the construction of a tiny home village for the severely mentally ill and chronically homeless.
As ambitious as these efforts may be, they serve only a fraction of the estimated homeless population. While tiny homes — which typically are 100 to 400 square feet and sometimes include a kitchen and a bathroom — can be built quickly and cheaply, the larger tasks of securing permits, financing, and local government approval can add big costs and delays.
Skeptics worry that the construction of tiny homes doesn’t remedy the bigger issue, which is the widespread lack of affordable housing.
At best, tiny homes
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