
The New York Times has posted this interesting story about the growing movement to construct tiny, but well-built, houses that would give the chronically homeless a place to stay. The story looks at “Quixote Village” just outside of Olympia, Wash., that now houses the residences of a former tent city. Each of the 144-square-foot homes contains enough room for a mattress and bathroom, with a shared community center providing a kitchen, laundry and showers. Because of the advantages the “micro-housing” movement has over conventional homeless shelters and micro-apartments (including costs), the trend is catching on. In Wisconsin, the “Occupy Madison” organization runs workshops on how to build tiny wood cabins and the developers behind Quixote recently fielded inquiries from delegations and advocates in cities including Santa Cruz, Portland, Seattle, Ann Arbor and Salt Lake City …