‘Tiny Homes’ Appearing in Los Angeles for Homeless People to Live in
Photo from (https://www.positive.news/society/hundreds-of-tiny-homes-have-appeared-in-los-angeles)
According to City News Service, approximately a homeless population of 66,436 in Los Angeles causes more pressure on roughhousing sleepers. “If we are going to sit and wait until affordable housing is built, the homeless problem will keep growing," said Ken Craft, CEO of Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission, which runs the Chandler Street village.
“Los Angeles is the latest city to experiment with micro-homes, which provides secure accommodation for homeless people while they find their feet.”
As mentioned earlier, the “Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission” aims to build independent and safe houses for homeless people in LA, “allowing people to regroup and start living again, instead of just surviving.” The houses are small but perfectly built and formed in white, blue, yellow, and pink, sitting in short rows, with geometric blocks of green, blue, and red separating them. A new neighbourhood that is not just colourful but designated for the city’s homeless people.
Moreover, the “Chandler Street Tiny Home Village” opened in February. It is capable of housing 200 residents in 103 one or two-person units. Fortunately, the city is under construction of two more villages offering an addition of 374 beds. It is built in 13 to 15 weeks, respectively, designated to be easy to construct, a safe and healthy shelter as a route of permanent housing. The villages also provide public facilities such as space for collective dining, washing clothes, pet playgrounds, and storage. However, they do not have private bathrooms.
“With the two bridge home facilities we already have, and with the two additional cabin villages we’re building right now, we will have enough capacity to shelter every single unhoused person who is currently living on a sidewalk in my district this year,” said Paul Krekorian, a member of the LA city council.
Recently, the Washington Post interviewed a resident living at the Chandler Street Tiny Home Village”, asking, “What is it like to live here? I don’t see any improvement I could make,” Stephen Smith said, sounding grateful about moving off the streets and into the village houses.
Astonishingly, Los Angeles isn’t the only place developing small villages as bridge housing. In 2020, such a housing project was also launched in Cambridge, providing secure accommodation to rough sleepers, where the high cost of lodgings has pushed them to the streets. With these fantastic plans, the pre-fabricated micro houses are also planned to implement in tight spaces in Bristol, England, bidding to provide affordable housing to more needy people.
Such a project should be advocated to raise awareness for homelessness and to provide a safe and loving home to everyone!
References:
City News Service. (2021, March 20). Homelessness rising in Los Angeles amid record number of people rehoused, agency says. Eyewitness News. Retrieved October 24, 2021, from https://abc7.com/homeless-los-angeles-homelessness-rehoused/10432710/#:~:text=About%20568%2C000%20people%20in%20the,LAHSA's%20homelessness%20count%20last%20year.
Positive News. (2021, July 23). Hundreds of 'tiny homes' have appeared in LA for homeless people to live in. Positive News. Retrieved October 24, 2021, from https://www.positive.news/society/hundreds-of-tiny-homes-have-appeared-in-los-angeles
