Tiny houses aren’t just for eco-warriors. They can also be a means for homeless and mentally ill individuals to reenter mainstream society.
Eve Andrews points to several tiny house communities that depart from the affluent-hipster stereotype. There’s Community First! Village, the combo RV/tiny-house development for homeless and low-income residents that will soon break ground near Austin, Texas. Quixote Village, in Olympia, Washington, targets people transitioning out of homelessness.
These success stories aside, municipal zoning and building codes stand in the way of a tiny-house revolution. Community First! Village, for instance, is located outside Austin proper because of building code restrictions. “[A]s tiny houses are viewed less and less as the hermetic retreats of antisocial weirdos, and more as a viable basis for sustainable, community-driven living, it would seem to behoove cities interested in greening themselves to sit up and start paying attention,” writes Andrews.
FULL STORY: How tiny house communities can work for both the haves and the have-nots
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