A ‘tiny’ solution for a big housing problem
December 2024 — Palm Beach County is betting on ‘tiny cottages’ to tackle homelessness as rising housing costs and a new Florida law banning public camping force cities to rethink shelter solutions. The initiative is part of a broader push nationwide called Housing First to use compact, cost-efficient housing to address affordability challenges and reduce reliance on temporary shelters.
“The Policy of Housing First is being used by communities in the United States and abroad. It is the only solution that has been found to end chronic homelessness,” Palm Beach County Commissioner Maria Sachs said in a Dec. 6 letter to other commission members.
The proposed small cottages, ranging in size from 140 to 240 square feet, will come equipped with a bathroom, shower, and kitchenette, providing residents with access to basic amenities.
Housing First’s philosophy promotes the allocation of basic necessities for homeless individuals, including shelter and sanitation, ahead of other key issues, such as obtaining employment, budgeting properly, and addressing alcohol/substance abuse issues. The national nonprofit has cited studies that showed that a “Housing First approach can cost up to $23,000 less per consumer per year than a shelter program.”
An unofficial tally by Point-In-Time, a count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness conducted by Palm Beach County, reported 2,126 homeless individuals in Palm Beach County in 2024 — a significant increase from the 1,855 recorded in the previous year and the highest count to date since 2011, following the Great Recession.
Point-In-Time is an annual measure where volunteers and law enforcement officers count the number of perceived destitute individuals in the area over a 24 hour period, serving as an indicator of the growing homeless crisis.
According to James Green, the division director of the Palm Beach County Community Services Department, the main driver behind the growing homelessness problem is the lack of affordable housing.
“We know that housing affordability is crucial to this issue, because we see the eviction numbers increasing as well,” Green said to CBS12. “Research has shown that housing affordability is the number one impact in the increase in homelessness greater than anything else, including mental health issues, substance abuse disorders.” (In November, the average home value was $481,229 in Palm Beach County — significantly higher than the state average of $389,387.)
In March, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 1365 into law and emphasized the state’s commitment to law and order while providing resources to help homeless individuals, stating that Florida would not allow encampments to undermine the quality of life seen in other states like New York and California. “The legislation I signed…upholds our commitment to law and order while also ensuring homeless individuals have the resources they need to get back on their feet,” he said.
Tiny villages have been popping up in U.S. metro areas in recent years as population migration, combined with historically high housing costs and stagnant wages, have led to a spike in the number of unsheltered people seen across the nation.
The state of California announced plans to build 1,200 100-square-foot homes for the homeless in October 2023. Similarly, a Tucson, Arizona-based nonprofit group experimented with converting shipping containers into small liveable spaces for displaced youth aging out of foster care.
Despite the successful implementation of these programs across the country, some critics believe that tiny shelters for the homeless offer only a temporary solution at best.
“Tiny homes are a tiny solution to a massive problem,” according to Juha Kaakinen, senior adviser to Housing First Europe Hub.
“All mainstream solutions to end homelessness should focus on housing solutions that integrate people exiting homelessness in the community and the society, which means that housing should be normal housing in normal surroundings,” Kaakinen told Newsweek.
