Seattle Builders Are Constructing Tiny Homes for the Formerly Homeless

A Seattle-based home building effort known as Block Project recently teamed up with local nonprofit Facing Homelessness to construct 12 tiny houses for formerly homeless individuals in Washington's largest city. The tiny homes, which cost around $75,000 each to build, follow "passive house" building principles for maximum energy efficiency.

Residents are referred by social workers, live rent-free, and are connected to a network of support services, The New York Times reports. Block Project and Facing Homelessness hope to eventually build 20 homes per year, starting with the recent completion of their 15th structure.

Of the 20 individuals who have resided in Block homes in Seattle, 19 have remained in the homes or gone on to find other stable, permanent housing. Two hosts have bowed out of the program — in one case, the homeowners, who were older, felt they could no longer handle the responsibility, and in both instances the homeowners purchased the houses that had been placed in their yards from Facing Homelessness.

The homes are built as permanent housing but are designed so they could be deconstructed and moved elsewhere. So far, all the structures have stayed put.

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