Ryan Donais started building the small modular homes this summer as he watched the city’s housing crisis becoming more dire. He said he didn’t want to go through another winter seeing people living on the streets, so he put his background in construction to use.

“I just don’t see any changes. It’s been many years with people outside and it’s not changing. I couldn’t imagine being outside for years, you know?”

Since then, Donais has built three homes at a cost of about $10,000 each, most of which has been paid for through donations to his GoFundMe page.

  • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
    1·
    9 days ago

    We had something similar done in the US, but it got shut down i think.

    God forbid homeless people get a equivalent of a tool shed to exist in. Think about all that lost rent landlord won’t be getting…

  • Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works
    1·
    9 days ago

    What this guy is doing is amazing, and I don’t want to sound like I’m knocking him or his project, but I do have to point out that one of the main factors that traps people in homelessness is how hard it is to interact with a lot of essential services if you don’t have an address. And, worse still, how hard it is to get a job. Even rental applications need a current address, and these days want a referral too.

    Essentially, projects like this serve to create a better class of homelessness, but they don’t actually solve homelessness.

    A study in Vancouver found that simply giving homeless people a one time payment of $7,500 significantly reduced homelessness among study participants. For all the heart and care this guy is putting into this project, he’d do far, far more good by simply taking the $10,000 it costs to make each home and giving that directly to the person instead.

    • HellsBelle@sh.itjust.worksOPEnglish
      1·
      9 days ago

      I don’t think he’s aiming at curing the disease as much as he’s trying to make people feel comfortable and safe while they live with the disease.

      And there’s nothing wrong with that.

    • brianpeiris@lemmy.caEnglish
      1·
      9 days ago

      Realistically we need to do both. $7,500 in cash is not going to solve the affordable housing shortage. Give them a roof over their heads for shelter, warmth, hygiene, privacy, security, autonomy, electricity for charging a phone. The psychological benefits alone seem huge to me. It would allow some of them to climb one or two rungs out of their situation. As you’ve said even a rental may not be guaranteed with $7,500 in cash. A tiny home guarantees a lot immediately, and it is a sustained investment that will last the lifetime of the home. I 100% agree that a basic income is proven to be beneficial. It doesn’t mean we stop doing everything else that we can. I’m sure you know the issue isn’t a lack of means, it’s a lack of will. If this helps in the short term, that’s great. If you also want to fight for basic income in the long term I will also support you in that. It’s not a zero sum game.