A TINY home community in Texas is home to 328 residents, with many more on the waitlist.
Located just outside of Austin, Mobile Loaves and Fishes is proof that not everything is bigger in Texas.
Mobile Loaves and Fishes is a faith-based community that found a scaled-down solution to the homeless crisis in the area.
Alan Graham and his wife founded the village in 2004, initially as an RV park, before beginning construction on 120 tiny homes.
Today, there are 328 residents on-site, and a phase two is in the works for a further 200 micro homes and 110 RV homes.
Rent is between $225 and $500 a month, and each house is equipped with a kitchen and bathroom and comes fully furnished.
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Each newcomer to the community is even welcomed with a fully stocked fridge and pantry.
There are three conditions to apply for residency.
Applicants must be experiencing chronic homelessness, must have been in Travis County for at least one year, and must be able to pay rent.
To help residents pay their rent, there are on-site work opportunities at the pottery studio and hydroponic garden.
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The village neighbors have earned a combined total of $1.5million through these work programs.
Alan has relied on donations from the local government and individuals to keep funding further developments in the village.
But Mobile Loaves and Fishes is not the only community of its kind.
BUILT BY BON JOVI
Tiny Homes Detroit in Michigan is a community project of around 25 purpose-built tiny houses for low-income residents.
Each home has a unique look - most are made out of repurposed materials, and each has been funded by a different individual or organization.
Jon Bon Jovi, Ford, and General Motors have all paid for at least one house each.
Rent is determined by the size of the home - one square foot equals one dollar a month.
That means the houses range in price from $250 a month to $400 a month.
ON THE SMALL SIDE
Although these communities of tiny homes were built to tackle poverty, many Americans are simply making the choice to downsize and live more affordably.
For example, Rhiannon Brevik is a mom of two who lives on a $6,000 fifth wheel she found on Craigslist.
She recently showed off her home on TikTok (@rhiannonbrevik) and wowed her followers with the RV’s natural light and functional appliances.
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Meanwhile, a family in Kentucky has built their own village of six tiny homes – although some online critics reckon their bathroom setup is seriously flawed.
And The Home Depot is selling ready-built tiny homes with 140 square feet of space for just $11k.
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