Artist builds tiny homes for the homeless

Gregory Kloehn is an artist on a mission. He is looking for inventive and environmentally friendly ways to house the homeless.

His Homeless Homes Project, based in California, produces tiny, unique homes out of household rubbish and other illegally dumped materials.

With a background in art and property development, he progressed to making homes from commercial dumpsters he purchased, and then to using material he could salvage.

His goal is to build a home in one day, with no money, he told the Rotary Club at the Californian Ballroom. He’s not quite there, but he can still churn out one in three to four days at minimal costs. 

By March 2016 Kloehn had build 45 of these homes, most of which cost him as little as $40 for extra building materials such as nails and paint, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

They are each individually tailored and easy to transport, which is handy as they are regularly moved on by the police in Oakland.

Kloehn’s work – along with other tiny homes built for homeless communities in Portland and Wisconsin – is being used as an example of what could be built. In fact, an entire village of tiny homes is designated for Sonoma County in California.

“When you have as many people homeless as we do in this county – about 2000 on the streets, living outside – you have to try everything,” Sonoma County supervisor Shirlee Zane said.

Meanwhile, Kloehn posts photos and updates on his project on his facebook page and YouTube channel, and continues to run workshops.

“What really compelled me to keep going was just the impact that I saw that it had on the people that I gave it to,” Kloehn told MSNBC news.

“You know, they were calling it a home, they were decorating their homes.”

Photo: Brian J Reynolds / gregorykloehn.com