tinyhomes
for folk unfamiliar with the term, tiny homes are a small living approach where people live in homes much more compact than our traditional brick-and-mortar spaces
a response to our changing world: from remote working; to minimalist ideals; to changes in how we relate and need spaces in cities and at home... some say tiny is the future of living
community
what do we mean when we say community - shared spaces, pooled resources, common understanding and collective purpose are the basis of community world over
we're stronger together and have never needed community so much as right now. that's why we don't picture just one tinyhome all on it's own - we dream of homefolk! people thriving through living together. facilitated by design, we believe community on our doorsteps leads to a whole range of benefits
has this been done before?
the good, the bad, the snuggly
- the idea of tiny houses and of tinyhouse villages is nothing new
- there are many examples of tiny houses in countries like the usa, especially in the pacific northwest
- tinyhouse villages are sometimes for-profit businesses, renting units out for holidaymakers or as accommodation
middle ground
- on the opposite end of the spectrum, there are examples of non-profit tinyhouse 'intentional communities'
- intentional communities are typically people who live together with common values eg. in ideas and ideals like veganism, sustainability, feminism or political beliefs
- other tiny house communities are focused on addressing social issues that link to housing insecurity, for example addiction and those experiencing ill mental health
what kind of community is homefolk?
homefolk isn't a classical for-profit business or another private landlord but we aren’t hoping to start an intentional community either (that's up to whoever lives in our homes!)... in the middle, we see ourselves as closest to a social enterprise, a housing catalyst who put our greatest value in community
that starts with our great community of volunteers and allied organisations have worked for 2 years to make our vision happen (see our collaborators page!)
shared & community owned facilities (the hubs, the site) for the community create benefits whilst, at the same time, we keep individual homes owned by their occupants personally, so that people have the security and freedom of owing their own home - providing the best benefits of intentional community with the benefits of private ownership