Solving Homelessness One Tiny Homes Community at a Time.

First They Came for the Homeless has been fighting homelessness for years, as well as fighting against the privatization of the Postal Service and the sale of Berkeley's downtown Post Office along with other activists. They have literally been 'on the sidewalks' in Berkeley for almost two years, and before that in San Francisco.

What they want to do now is purchase a tiny home on wheels. They want to move this tiny home around Berkeley so the community can see it. This is the only way the politicians will be serious - with public support.

Human beings don't need to sleep in doorways or be herded into barbed wire guarded "shelters." Tiny Homes are a cost-effective, practical solution to homelessness. When people talk about building "affordable housing" in the Bay Area, it means something like $200,000 per unit, and a four or five year lead time. But permanent housing for all of America's homeless could exist for a one-time cost that is far less than what the United States now spends on trying to police and, when not being policed, care for of homeless people - in a single year. For less than a tenth the cost and in a tenth of the time, places for lots of now unhoused people to live could exist. But it will only happen if communities understand that there are solutions, and see other communities implementing them. There are a few Tiny Homes communities in locales across the country that have already been established - Portland, Seattle, Madison and Austin, for example. We need some in California, home to a large percentage of America's unhoused.

First They Came for the Homeless' long term goal is to replicate successes elsewhere, beginning the end of homelessness in Berkeley, CA., and across the state, by establishing a tiny home village.

For that goal to be realized means they have to first educate the public.

The money they are asking be raised, $7000, will allow them to purchase one Tiny House on wheels. They intend to drive it around town inviting to come see this model home. To see, touch, crawl around it. A guide will explain the features of the house and how villages comprised of these units will solve homelessness. It is in this way the hearts and minds of the community will be won. As such we can then expect their support of the long term goal.

The purchase is being crowd-funded. Please donate a small amount to show that this is truly a broad-based effort; donate as a vote of support for a real effort to end homelessness; donate because this is a super-cool idea...