Living in downtown Toronto, construction manager Ryan Donais saw first-hand how the homelessness crisis impacted the people of his city and realized he could help be a part of the solution.
“It breaks my heart to see the housing crisis everywhere, with tents in parks and people sleeping outside. Tents are for camping, not for housing,” Donais wrote on a GoFundMe page.
So, he invented Tiny Tiny Homes, a mobile home camper that attaches to a bicycle and provides temporary shelter for people experiencing chronic homelessness.
Each Tiny Tiny Home model is insulated, weatherproof, and watertight, with thoughtful essentials, including a sofa that converts into a bed, solar-powered electricity, a desk, and 12 cubic feet of under bed storage.
The small units also have electricity and heat, running water, and safety features like smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and a fire extinguisher. Future prototypes will also include a camping toilet and sink.
According to CBC, the units are also designed with Ontario's e-bike regulations in mind so that they can legally travel on the city's bike lanes if they have to be moved.
Donais launched a GoFundMe to help buy materials to build out these mobile homes and has raised over $90,000, just shy of his goal of $100,000.
“The first model, I funded myself,” he explained on the fundraising page. “Each unit costs around $5,000 (not including sweat equity) to build, and I will ensure that every penny is spent wisely to create a safe and comfortable home for those who need it the most.”
Since the summer, Donais has also created a registered nonprofit to help bring more of these shelters into the world.
According to the Tiny Tiny Homes website, the organization’s mission is to “replace unsafe tent encampments with secure, mobile homes and help rebuild lives with dignity and hope.”
For Terra Sawler, who moved into one of the mobile home units after spending close to three years living on the street, that mission has been accomplished.
“This is definitely the safest and warmest I've been since I've been out here,” Sawler told CBC. “When you're out on the street, you don't sleep every night. You sleep every couple nights … I've had my shoes stolen off my feet, I've had my [sleeping] bag cut off, it's a dog-eat-dog world out here.”
While Donais is happy to help people as much as he can, he knows his shelters aren’t meant to be permanent, and he told CBC he wishes he didn’t have to build them at all, pushing the local government to provide more safe, affordable housing to people in need.
“It’s terrible that we’re letting people sleep outside,” he said. “Housing is the answer.”
The crisis is also a personal one for him; Donais shared that his brother has faced homelessness and addiction over the years, as well.
“I want every homeless person to have one of these,” he said. “Tent encampments are not a healthy environment.”
As Donais gains more funding, he hopes to rent a larger shop to build and store materials, therefore lowering the cost of each unit. He also hopes his new nonprofit status will help garner the support of grants and other public supporters.
Above all, he has one simple goal: to construct more units and give them away to people in need.
“We aim to scale production, increase distribution, and forge new partnerships, making Tiny Tiny Homes a viable housing solution for those in need across more communities,” Donais shares on his website. “Together, we can turn small homes into big changes.”
Header images courtesy of Ryan Donais/Tiny Tiny Homes
