Can Tiny Homes Solve America’s Homeless Problem?

Four cities in the Pacific Northwest are proving the case for living super-small — and their experiments can teach the rest of us a thing or two about building real community.

Photos by Georgia Perry

In 2001, a group of homeless people In Portland, Oregon, set up a campsite under a downtown bridge. The city didn’t have enough shelter space to accommodate its homeless population, and as the camp attracted more and more people, authorities began regular sweeps, clearing away tents and sleeping bags — which inevitably cropped right back up. Then something less predictable happened. A group of community leaders and activists teamed up with those living at the camp and hatched a plan: make the tent village permanent by developing a community of tiny homes for homeless people.