My tiny home village was seized by officials, they physically removed houses before a U

Jun 05, 2023

OFFICIALS in Los Angeles seized a set of tiny homes that had been constructed with public donations for the homeless.

The small houses were first built by Elvis Summers in 2016 after he befriended a homeless woman called Smokie McGee.

The project that started aimed to provide much-needed shelter for people on the streets and a safe space for their belongings.

It was always seen by Summers as a temporary solution to give the homeless a place to start making a positive change and eventually get more permanent housing.

After constructing Smokie's house on the street with $500 worth of materials, more homeless people approached Summers to see if they could also get help.

He then launched a Go Fund Me page for donations which went viral and allowed Summers to build a number of tiny homes in South LA.

The six-foot by eight-foot houses were painted in bright colors, had the American flag out front, and came with solar-powered lighting.

However, the dwellings located in encampments on overpasses along the 110 Freeway were removed by the city.

Luckily, Summers had removed some of them ahead of the sweep but three properties were impounded by the city and put in storage.

In a report by the Los Angeles Times, a spokeswoman from the Bureau of Sanitation, the city told occupants that the homes would be "discarded."

Councilman Curren Price told the news outlet at the time that he was getting complaints from residents in the area.

The former Mayor Eric Garcetti was committed to tackling the homelessness issue in the city, his spokesperson said at the time.

She said in a statement: "Unfortunately, these structures can be hazardous to the individuals living in them and to the community at large.

"These structures, some of the materials that were found in some of them, just the thought of folks having some of these things in a space so small, so confined, without the proper insulation, it really does put their lives in danger."

However, Summers told the news outlet that the city made no efforts to help the residents of the small homes after removing them.

"When the city took the houses, they didn't offer housing, they kicked them out," he said.

Summers added: "It's not a permanent solution, but nobody is doing anything for shelter right now,"

The spokeswoman advised the homeless to make use of official resources such as shelters or homeless vouchers.

The tiny homes equate to a shed but provide people on the streets with peace of mind and the feeling that they own something.

Each house on tiny wheels with a portable camping toilet cost Summers just $1,200 to build.

New rules passed by the city in 2016 categorized tiny homes as "bulky items" that should be immediately removed by the authorities.

Summers argued that the homes that were removed should have been returned to him.

At the time, he had constructed 37 structures with the help of volunteers and thousands of dollars worth of donations.

The DIY hero and his supporters launched a protest at City Hall following the removal and the following month the city returned the homes to Summers.

While they gave way to Summers, the Mayor's office made it clear that it was not supporting the idea of a village of tiny homes on city land.

Summers was left with the option of finding private land to buy and build on.

In 2017, a video post on his Facebook page showed the City once again removing some homes for the homeless.

However, these appeared to be constructed on city land.

A few years later in 2021, the Tiny House Project CEO and founder spoke to California Insider about his struggles working with the authorities in Los Angeles.

He explained: "Well, I'm trying to [work with them]. We sat at the table for many months and almost put up some villages a couple of years ago.

"They pulled the plug at the last minute and never gave us a good reason why. I've been trying to get them back to the table ever since."

Summers added that he felt like he was being "side-lined" and no longer had anything positive to say about those running the city.

His frustrations increased after the city erected its first prefab tiny home village for the homeless without helping or including him and making it astronomically expensive.

He stated: "I've been trying to do this now for almost six years...I've fought against the city, I've fought with the city and now all of a sudden there are tiny house communities popping up across LA that are costing millions of dollars and a) it's not me b) they don't cost millions of dollars to make so it's leaving me with questions."

The Chandler Boulevard Bridge Home Village in North Hollywood, LA was set up with the city and the non-profit organization Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission.

According to Business Insider, the plot opened in February 2021 and already had 43 residents moved in.

The project was designed by Lehrer Architects and the city's Bureau of Engineering who projected a $3.49million budget.

However, this was exceeded due to foundational work.

The architect agency said: "This innovative community project offers an aggressive, appropriately experimental, and timely template for improving Los Angeles’ homelessness crisis by transforming a forgotten, oddly shaped infill lot into a 39 one-or-two-person/unit facility for unhoused Angelenos using prefabricated 'pallet shelters'."

The non-profit managed to open a second site roughly two miles away called The Alexandria Park Tiny Home Village.

According to NBC Los Angeles, each of the homes in the villages constructed by the non-profit cost $55,000.

They feature a lockable door, a bed, an air conditioner, and clothing racks.

Summers said: "I think it's a sham. That they've taken a very viable solution to really help people quickly and cheaply and perverted it to making millions off it."

Despite feeling sidelined by the city, Summers refused to give up on his project, and in the same year as the city launched its first tiny home village, he seemed to have found a legal loophole for his own structures.

In 2021 he posted on Facebook: "ADUs [Accessory Dwelling Units] are now legal because the city can profit from it.

"Tiny houses can be an ADU if set up in that way. They can also be Emergency Sleeping Cabins or Emergency Shelter."

It appears that Summers has found a solution to his issues with the city as he continues with his organization to build his tiny homes for the homeless.

In a comment on Instagram, one follower asked if he was still being shut down by authorities.

He replied: "Nah ancient history. Things are different now."

Summers has even had children coming to help build the homes and learn more about homelessness in their city.

The U.S. Sun has contacted the Tiny House Project and the Los Angeles City Planning Department for comment.