In the city where I live, there is a big problem of homelessness. With few social services and no shelter for the homeless for an hour, the homeless population of our city has very few options. Even large cities that have multiple shelters have difficulty housing all the people who need a place to stay. Shelters are also no strangers to theft and violence among residents, forcing many people to sleep on the streets as a “safer” alternative.
Fortunately, some cities are beginning to develop creative options for housing their homeless population. San Jose, California recently opened the doors of a community of 40 small homes designed to house the homeless. Each small house is 80 square feet and includes a single bed, a desk and shelves. Each home is also equipped with heating and air conditioning.
In San Jose, a staggering 6,000 people are forced to sleep on the streets, in shelters or in their cars due to the severe shortage of affordable housing in the area. “We hope this will serve as a model for everyone to see that we can make it work in a community and that housing for our homeless neighbors can be a great asset to the surrounding community,” said Mayor Sam Liccardo.
The construction of each small house cost about $6,500, and the entire project cost a little over $2 million. In addition to these small homes, the community has shared bathrooms, kitchen space, laundry facilities, common living rooms with computers, internet access, bulletin boards, and a security officer who sits 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at a patrol station near the front door of the community.
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