Caption: Look at all the finished homes! Five out the door today.
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A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
One of our Community Partners is Operation Tiny Home. This organization was founded in part by our friend Zach Giffin who co-hosts the television show “Tiny House Nation”. Zach has been instrumental in working to enact legislation throughout the United States to make it easier to build tiny homes and tiny homes on wheels (THOW) on existing property usually not designated for additional dwellings. Here’s his take on our side of the equation.
By Zach Giffin
According to the 2022 census, there are 33.6 million more bedrooms than people. That means there are at least 57 empty bedrooms in the United States for every homeless person. That statistic implies that every person has their own bedroom but if you assume that at least 50% of the 61.4 million married couples share a bedroom, it means that there are at least 109 empty bedrooms for every homeless person in the United States.
Almost every economist will tell you that our housing crisis is due to our failure to construct enough new homes. However, few mention the extreme rates of vacancy or the wasted space that results when zoning laws force single adults and empty nesters to live in homes designed for families. Indeed, we would have plenty of homes if laws allowed us to use them more efficiently.
What I have learned from working with people experiencing homelessness is that nobody ends up on the street all at once. People who find themselves with nowhere to go start the process of leaning on the support of friends or family but after the third experience of staying in another person’s home, people stop asking for help. This is because staying in another person’s home is inherently an imposition on the host and there is a deep indignity that comes with the experience of being the source of that type of stress on another person. It’s why after time, people would rather sleep in their car (or in a tent) than continue to go through the shame of that experience.
The flip side is that for every homeless person sleeping on the street, there is a friend or a family member whose heart is broken because they feel helpless to do anything about it. Tiny Homes in backyards are not just an attainable housing solution, it is a logical way for friends and family to support one another. It’s a tool to provide a far more dignified form of assistance for someone you love that doesn’t produce nearly as much intrusion into one’s lives as sleeping in one’s home. It’s not just a great way to help someone transition out of homelessness. it’s a way to provide a safety net that can radically reduce the amount of people who end up sleeping on our streets.
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COMMUNITY
Here’s what the Easter egg hunt looked like at River Park Tiny Home Village.
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TINY HOME VILLAGES KEEP LOOKING BETTER AND BETTER
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AROUND THE HOPE FACTORY
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THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HELPED THIS WEEK
- Our “regulars” are the heart and soul of our organization.
- “New Crew” members: Artur, Katie, Elliott, Melissa, and Wes, and especially to Phillip, Henry, Huntley, Jack, Romeo, Mara and Nadia, our young men and women who spent their Spring Break building with us.
- Our wonderful groups: Epiphany Church, and HUD / Region X (first time).
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
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TO VOLUNTEER
Come build with us this week! Here’s the link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/
Please remember to wear painting clothes even if you do not anticipate painting. Minimum age is 16 years. Please, no exceptions.
Clarification: If the SignUpGenius says (The name of a Group Build) AND Open Build, this means that you can volunteer even if you are not a part of the group.
TEAM LEADERS IN TRAINING: If you wish to become a Team Leader in Training, DO NOT SIGN UP for the day you wish to do this. Email SoundFoundationsNW@gmail.com and we will put you on the list.
We hope to be building with you soon.
Your Leadership Team: Beatrice, Tom, Bruce, David, Timothy and Barb