look, i love slapped together temporary structures as much as every other carpenter, but for the love of god can we please stop with the obsession with tiny homes in discussions of homelessness?

HDTV gave everyone brainworms to make well intentioned libs think tiny homes are reasonable accommodations because they saw a cute and quirky wealthy tech bro build a luxury box in his backyard for extra airbnb revenue

there's nothing revolutionary about stuffing people into what is functionally a shed, often in packed lots with strict guidelines and curfews. these programs often function as another form of institutionalization that denies people their own autonomy.

as a carpenter who focuses on sustainability and functionality, i'm much more interested in taking large existing structures and building them out to be permanent community living spaces. warehouses, hotels, etc. there's so much existing infrastructure ready to be modified.

why are we wasting so much wood, labor, and resources to make shitty little boxes that are usually detached from any meaningful infrastructure? it doesn't make sense to me.

not to mention the inherently flawed ways these programs are usually designed? the rules make them usually indistinguishable from christian outreach programs. designed to infantilize grown adults.

the wait lists are super long, they control what you're allowed to have in your home, drug testing, not allowed to have visitors, punished for being out beyond curfew. staff usually has little to no experience beyond customer service and are wildly underpaid.

last point: city sponsored contracts are bid so that they're manufactured for as cheaply as possible. contractors do not give a shit about functionality or quality. they fall apart and usually have no kitchens or bathrooms. they are effectively producing large dog houses.