Tiny Homes for the Homeless
by Michelle Liu
Age 12
Reno, NV
Everyday, adults and children are living on the streets, in shelters, or even in cars. They face many challenges that others may take for granted. Homelessness is an issue that challenges millions, and affects everyone, but there are ways to address it.
There are various reasons why someone can become homeless. A while ago, I volunteered at the Homeless Garden Project, an organization based in Santa Cruz. They help provide job training for homeless men and women in the field of farmwork with pay and food also and help them get housing. I spoke with several homeless men and women involved with the project, and their responses to how they became homeless ranged quite a bit. In a general perspective, people are homeless when they cannot afford housing. This happens when one cannot find a job, or when one cannot earn enough to pay mortgage or rent. Usually, it is a result of unemployment or lack of job training and education. One man was involved in an accident and left the hospital with a heavy medical bill. Others have a mental illness or medical disability that makes finding jobs hard. Riding in a car with someone who had committed a crime, even if you did not know, results in a mark on your criminal record, which also makes finding careers much more difficult. Another majority of the people I had interviewed came from families in poverty. I visited a homeless camp to talk with more people and learn about the situations they are in and the problems they face. To some of the people I had interviewed, food was not even an issue―only house prices. The homeless were just ordinary citizens without a house.
While homelessness is a national issue, it is also a local issue in Nevada and Washoe County. To learn more, I researched local and national homeless demographics. According to National Coalition for the Homeless, a large 39% of the homeless population in our nation are K-12 students, with 42% of them being under the age of five. A small percentage of the children are unaccompanied. Nationally, based on estimates, the homeless population seems to be on a decline, but the opposite can be said for Washoe County. The county provides shelters for men, women, and families, though on a typical day, there can be 40 to 50 families waiting for a room in the family shelter. The number of homeless children in the county is estimated to be at 3,000, not necessarily sleeping on the streets but in homes other than their parents’. There are all sorts of food services provided for the homeless and the homeless children, whether provided by the county or not. However, there is a lack of job training, causing unemployment or difficulty earning enough to support a family. The average income in Washoe County is slightly lower than the national average, with the average house valued much higher. Because of the gap, there is more of a challenge for families and people to find homes.
One can look upon the current homeless relief systems and practices going on in Washoe County as ineffective. Laozi once stated, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Many other counties, including Washoe, are giving the homeless a fish. Without providing further help and job training, many of the homeless are stuck in their situation. However, if the county were to provide an opportunity similar to the Homeless Garden Project, instead of giving the homeless a fish, they are teaching them to fish.
I have worked with Mayor Ignacio Velazquez of Hollister on a project known as New Horizons. The goal of the project is to provide affordable housing in the form of tiny homes. The project is a small village of tiny homes where the homeless can receive job training and transition out of the streets. Instead of providing free housing, the tiny homes in New Horizons charge a monthly rent, similar to apartments. Each tiny house costs $20,000 to $25,000 to build, and contains all the living essentials―a kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom with space left over for items such as bookshelves. Since the tiny homes are on wheels and measure only 160 square feet, there is no property tax and the rent is very affordable. New Horizons is a project that will pay itself back, as money is earned on the monthly rents. The money can then be reinvested into the project, providing more homes for more homeless. It is designed to help the homeless get back on their feet and into a tiny house where they can stay temporarily. After a year, once they have the job training and experience, they can move out and find larger and more permanent homes.
Washoe County would benefit from a project similar to New Horizons or the Homeless Garden Project. The cost maintaining shelters and other relief projects are quite expensive. However, the money could be used to help build tiny homes where the city could also earn the money back. A small village of tiny homes with another project that provided job training and a paid job would go very far. It would benefit the society and economy, as well as lower crime rate. The children would be able to live in a tiny house with their family instead of on the streets. The homeless will no longer have to spend the night feeling unsafe and living inadequately. It will give them a sense of self-reliance. Most importantly, those who do not have a place to call home will finally have one.
Works Cited
Age 12
Reno, NV
Everyday, adults and children are living on the streets, in shelters, or even in cars. They face many challenges that others may take for granted. Homelessness is an issue that challenges millions, and affects everyone, but there are ways to address it.
There are various reasons why someone can become homeless. A while ago, I volunteered at the Homeless Garden Project, an organization based in Santa Cruz. They help provide job training for homeless men and women in the field of farmwork with pay and food also and help them get housing. I spoke with several homeless men and women involved with the project, and their responses to how they became homeless ranged quite a bit. In a general perspective, people are homeless when they cannot afford housing. This happens when one cannot find a job, or when one cannot earn enough to pay mortgage or rent. Usually, it is a result of unemployment or lack of job training and education. One man was involved in an accident and left the hospital with a heavy medical bill. Others have a mental illness or medical disability that makes finding jobs hard. Riding in a car with someone who had committed a crime, even if you did not know, results in a mark on your criminal record, which also makes finding careers much more difficult. Another majority of the people I had interviewed came from families in poverty. I visited a homeless camp to talk with more people and learn about the situations they are in and the problems they face. To some of the people I had interviewed, food was not even an issue―only house prices. The homeless were just ordinary citizens without a house.
While homelessness is a national issue, it is also a local issue in Nevada and Washoe County. To learn more, I researched local and national homeless demographics. According to National Coalition for the Homeless, a large 39% of the homeless population in our nation are K-12 students, with 42% of them being under the age of five. A small percentage of the children are unaccompanied. Nationally, based on estimates, the homeless population seems to be on a decline, but the opposite can be said for Washoe County. The county provides shelters for men, women, and families, though on a typical day, there can be 40 to 50 families waiting for a room in the family shelter. The number of homeless children in the county is estimated to be at 3,000, not necessarily sleeping on the streets but in homes other than their parents’. There are all sorts of food services provided for the homeless and the homeless children, whether provided by the county or not. However, there is a lack of job training, causing unemployment or difficulty earning enough to support a family. The average income in Washoe County is slightly lower than the national average, with the average house valued much higher. Because of the gap, there is more of a challenge for families and people to find homes.
One can look upon the current homeless relief systems and practices going on in Washoe County as ineffective. Laozi once stated, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Many other counties, including Washoe, are giving the homeless a fish. Without providing further help and job training, many of the homeless are stuck in their situation. However, if the county were to provide an opportunity similar to the Homeless Garden Project, instead of giving the homeless a fish, they are teaching them to fish.
I have worked with Mayor Ignacio Velazquez of Hollister on a project known as New Horizons. The goal of the project is to provide affordable housing in the form of tiny homes. The project is a small village of tiny homes where the homeless can receive job training and transition out of the streets. Instead of providing free housing, the tiny homes in New Horizons charge a monthly rent, similar to apartments. Each tiny house costs $20,000 to $25,000 to build, and contains all the living essentials―a kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom with space left over for items such as bookshelves. Since the tiny homes are on wheels and measure only 160 square feet, there is no property tax and the rent is very affordable. New Horizons is a project that will pay itself back, as money is earned on the monthly rents. The money can then be reinvested into the project, providing more homes for more homeless. It is designed to help the homeless get back on their feet and into a tiny house where they can stay temporarily. After a year, once they have the job training and experience, they can move out and find larger and more permanent homes.
Washoe County would benefit from a project similar to New Horizons or the Homeless Garden Project. The cost maintaining shelters and other relief projects are quite expensive. However, the money could be used to help build tiny homes where the city could also earn the money back. A small village of tiny homes with another project that provided job training and a paid job would go very far. It would benefit the society and economy, as well as lower crime rate. The children would be able to live in a tiny house with their family instead of on the streets. The homeless will no longer have to spend the night feeling unsafe and living inadequately. It will give them a sense of self-reliance. Most importantly, those who do not have a place to call home will finally have one.
Works Cited
- "Who Is Homeless?" http://www.nationalhomeless.org/. National Coalition for the Homeless, Aug. 2007. Web. 21 Mar. 2016. <http://www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/facts/Whois.pdf>.
- "Population Estimates, July 1, 2015, (V2015)." UNITED STATES QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. Web. 22 Mar. 2016. <http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/00,32031>.
- Ciarlo, Chris. "Number of Homeless Children in Washoe County Climbs Again." KTVN Channel 2. 24 Sept. 2013. Web. 22 Mar. 2016. <http://www.ktvn.com/story/23480475/number-of-homeless-children-in-washoe-county-climbs-again>.
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