An outside look at a tiny home from Baim\u2019s Chicago Summit. Photo courtesy of Hal Baim.<\/p><\/div>\n

Tiny homes are more than just a fad\u2014-they\u2019re helping a bigger cause<\/span><\/h5>\n

Words by Sarah Mattes<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Flipping through TV channels late on a Monday night may lead you down a path you can\u2019t come back from. A new TV addiction: tiny homes. Spanning over four different shows, this new type of living has hit its popularity peak. From \u201cTiny House Builders\u201d to \u201cTiny House Hunters,\u201d these shows take you from vision to creation. <\/span><\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not just the hipsters and new-age minimalists claiming these bite-size places as home. Many organizations across the country have taken this new form of housing and used it to help house those in need of a new chapter in life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Off the Beaten Path<\/h6>\n

Reverend Faith Fowler came into an inheritance when her mother died. The same is true for many upper and middle class families in America. But Fowler gained more than assets\u2014she gained perspective. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt dawned on me in a new way, how as a middle class person in this country you benefit from your family, and you have a security in your family that you don\u2019t even realize,\u201d Fowler said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fowler realized that if a poor family has any sudden financial trouble, they can\u2019t help each other monetarily. This realization has guided her work as the executive director for <\/span>Cass Community Social Services<\/span><\/a> in Detroit, Michigan. \u201cThey, A, don\u2019t have any cash; B, don\u2019t have any way to get any money – they don\u2019t have any collateral; and C, even when they die, you\u2019re not gonna get anything, and you\u2019ll have to do a quick fundraiser just to get them cremated.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While seeking a way to give these families and individuals living in poverty a chance at reclaiming their life and owning their own assets, Fowler discovered tiny homes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bigger Than a Shoebox<\/h6>\n

Coming in at an average of 500 square feet and costing between $40,000 and $60,000, the tiny home craze began out west in Oregon and Washington, but has made its way to the Midwest. Like most houses, tiny homes are built in a variety of sizes. Some start out at as small as 60 square feet, while others top out at 1,000 square feet. Within its four walls, a tiny home combines all the spaces of an average-sized home into one area. The kitchen, bedroom, living room and bathroom are all located within mere steps of each other, if they\u2019re not in the exact same area of the home.<\/span><\/p>\n[aesop_gallery id=”7148″]\n

The Trouble Behind the Cause<\/h6>\n

As organizations like Cass Community Social Services are trying to get their tiny home project off the ground, others are unable to break through the paper barriers: zoning codes.<\/span><\/p>\n

For these organizations and other individuals wanting to build tiny homes, it is a matter of working with local community officials and having the knowledge of city ordinances to get the permission needed to complete the project. <\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most common ordinances communities have involve accessory dwelling units. According to the <\/span>American Tiny House Association<\/span><\/a>, \u201can Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) is a small or tiny house on the same property (usually in the backyard) of a larger, existing home.\u201d The rules on these dwellings vary between cities but some include: the property owner must live in one of the homes and the dwelling must be owned by the same person as the larger home.<\/span><\/p>\n

A lack of knowledge often leads to breaking those city rules and regulations. \u201cThat\u2019s the biggest hurdle in tiny homes right now\u2014everybody is trying to skirt the rules,\u201d said Chris Galusha, president of the American Tiny House Association.. \u201cAnd skirting the rules isn\u2019t going to help anybody; it\u2019s just going to piss officials off and then they\u2019re just going to crack down harder.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Galusha and his fellow chapter leaders at the ATHA try to combat rulebreakers by providing information and resources to those interested in tiny homes and the building process. <\/span><\/p>\n

For the Greater Good<\/h6>\n

For Cass Community Social Services, tiny homes became a way to provide assets to people with very low incomes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just a nice place to live as a renter,\u201d Fowler said, \u201cbut home ownership for people who make $10,000 or $12,000 or $15,000 a year; folks who can\u2019t even qualify for a Habitat for Humanity house.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tiny homes give individuals the chance to develop assets at a rate that they couldn\u2019t match if they owned average-sized housing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis kind of housing is cheaper to build, quicker to build and cheaper to operate on an ongoing basis,\u201d said Tracy Baim, co-chair of the Pride Action Tank and publisher of the <\/span>Windy City Times<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last April, Baim\u2019s organization hosted a tiny homes summit in Chicago, featuring speakers from existing tiny home projects to discuss the progress and success of their organizations. The summit focused on finding solutions for the growing population of homeless LGBTQ+ youth in Chicago. Government officials, financial funders, local architects and service providers were also among those who spoke at the conference.<\/span><\/p>\n

Baim says that tiny living is not for everyone living in poverty or homeless; it is a certain style of living that is helpful to a select group of individuals.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor youth that are in colleges that don\u2019t have dorms, this is a possibility. For people who have been chronically homeless on the streets, this could be a first point of housing,\u201d Baim said. \u201cFor seniors who want to live in housing that mimics where they\u2019ve lived their whole lives and in a community-based setting, this could be an asset.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Fowler\u2019s goal is to build 25 more tiny homes by the end of next year. Ranging from 250 to 400 square feet, the Cass Community Social Services\u2019 homes will provide shelter and a growing financial asset for formerly homeless individuals coming out of shelters, senior citizens forced to leave their homes due to gentrification, or young adults who aged out of the foster care system or don\u2019t have families that can financially support them.<\/span><\/p>\n

She explains that these residents will set a positive example for others: \u201cThey\u2019ll serve as stakeholders and role models for people who are still in the shelters or are just coming off the streets.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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