For years now folks have been saying the tiny house movement could
help solve the scourge of homelessness in many American cities. Now, one group
in Detroit is actually testing that theory. Instead of moving from one
abandoned building to another in Detroit, leaders are suggesting the homeless
could have their own place.
Social Impact of Microhouses
The program is ran by Cass Community Social Services, a
group working with the community that has now branched out to help connect
homeless citizens with safe housing.
CCSS representative Rev. Faith Fowler told the media: “We’re
looking to solve a couple problems at the same time… We have massive amounts of
vacant land here and abandoned houses, and we have a number of homeless people
who have come here through our program who are ready to move on to affordable
housing, and there’s a lack of it here in the city.”
The new program will begin with 24 tiny houses, each between 300
and 450 square feet. The idea is to give the homeless residents a sense of
place, a room to call their own, rather than squatting somewhere someone else
has abandoned. The Cass group hopes this step will bring a different and
much-needed change of mindset for the folks they are working with while also
helping to develop one of the most blighted communities in the country.
Tiny Houses: A Second Chance
Better still, the plan won’t be a freebie. Residents will be
expected to pay via a low-income payment plan, which could be a stepping stone
to getting their lives back on track and perhaps earning something bigger and
better down the road.
Cass spokespeople have said this sort of reclamation project is
just what this community – and these people – need to bring change to this area
and their lives. If the program is a success, and if the program directors
develop and produce a strong PR campaign, it could become a model for
other similar efforts throughout the country.
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