Tiny homes in Los Angeles temporarily house the homeless

Small huts are a temporary solution to the homeless problem in Los Angeles.

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In the Los Angeles parking lot, a group of tiny, pre-fabricated homes line up to house the homeless and provide them with a temporary roof, before they move into permanent housing.

This mega city in California combines two extremes. On the one hand, it embraces Hollywood, its stars and glamor, and on the other, tens of thousands of people live without a permanent home, their miserable tents spread across Los Angeles.

A total of 76 municipally funded maisonettes have been set up in Tarzana.

Each one extends over six square meters and is equipped with two mattresses, shelves, air conditioning, and a heater.

This tiny house costs $6,500 and can be set up in 90 minutes.

Toilets and showers are communal, and sophisticated washing machines are placed opposite orange tables, shaded by large parasols.

The journey begins with a "hot bath, followed by a delicious meal, and then a program of work" to get out of poverty, according to Rowan Vanceliff, financial director of Hope of the Valley, the non-governmental organization that runs this "new kind of town."

Then “you will get a small house, and you will start implementing the work program as long as the situation requires it.”

The contract remains valid for a period of three months, in principle, subject to renewal, until the person finds a permanent home, according to Brandon Hanner, who runs the site.

The first such "town" was inaugurated in Los Angeles in early 2021. In recent years, other similar initiatives have emerged in other cities, such as San Jose in California and Seattle in Washington state.

sense of security

Zuri-Kinshasa Maria Teri, 46, moved to a very small house in Tarzana, and she found herself homeless on the street after two weeks spent in intensive care, after contracting "Covid-19".

She had been waiting for two months, eagerly, for the site to open, and she was inspecting the preparation workshop from her tent at the end of the street.

"I can hardly believe what is happening to me," says the dancer.

The most notable advantage of these micro homes for individuals or couples compared to street tents, or traditional collective shelters in general, is that they provide a “feeling of security,” according to Terry, who intends to participate in a course that entitles her to work in the field of real estate brokerage.

The site is protected around the clock.

Residents are not given keys, but they can lock the doors from the inside, Vancelev said.

They can also consult doctors and psychologists, and they get three meals a day.

The “roots” of the crisis

Opinions differ among the organizations concerned with the affairs of the homeless regarding this initiative.

There is no doubt that these small homes “may constitute a positive shift for some...but they address the problem from its crust, not its roots,” according to Mayer Dahan, founder of the Dream Builders Project.

The problem for Los Angeles, according to Shayla Myers of the Legal Aid Foundation, is "there is so little affordable housing that it's hard for people to leave these shelters for permanent housing."

The latter acknowledges that it is a "good temporary solution" for some people, but these homes are "unreasonably expensive" due to the cost of operating them, and California should do more.

She says, "The homeless crisis cannot be resolved without addressing its roots, i.e. poverty, inequality in the distribution of wealth, and the lack of affordable housing."

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