Should There Be Tiny Houses In Kalamazoo?

We all know Kalamazoo has a bad homeless problem. Over the years people have struggled to find a solution to help low income families survive and avoid eviction. Detroit has recently started a community of little houses that cost only $10,000 to own. When finished, the tiny house community will consist of 25, uniquely designed homes. All the supplies used are donated and are constructed by trained volunteers. The homes are between 250-400 square feet, with a cost of $1 per square foot.

Founder Faith Fowler explains how they eliminate the mortgage system with these houses: "We raise the money for the homes up front. When they pay rent they actually are not paying for rent to own. They're just paying rent so that we establish a financial history for them. We use that money to pay their taxes, water, insurance, and security system. So if they pay that for seven years, then we give them the house, the land, the deed and the bills."

I feel that this is a great idea and may be something Kalamazoo could eventually adopt. Not only would low-income families thrive from an idea like this, but I also feel it may help to those looking to get their feet wet when wanting to buy a house, and for those who have bad credit scores and can't get mortgages. Ben Brown of Kalamazoo had his own tiny house built two years ago for similar reasons: