Seattle Hopes Temporary ‘Tiny Houses’ Will Help Homeless

The tiny house fad is being used for good in Seattle, where a tiny house village is being opened this week to give places to live to homeless families. The 40 tiny houses were built by the advocacy group Low Income Housing Institute on a parcel of land that it owns. The eight-foot-by-12-foot houses will provide temporary shelter for homeless families, in a community that will have two full-time workers to ensure security. There will also be a communal kitchen and a place to shower. LIHI executive director Sharon Lee said residents will have to check in and there will be chores, like kitchen duty and litter clean-up, explaining, "We expect everyone to participate just like any household."