Alabama Frat Is Building Tiny Houses For Homeless Because They're Their Brothers Too

[mfcorey1]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/tiny-homes-homeless-veterans_n_6122362.html?utm_hp_ref=impact

A new Alabama fraternity has already redefined what it means to be a "brother."

Phi Kappa Psi has only had a presence at the University of Alabama in Huntsville for less than a year, but they already have big plans to help improve their community, WHNT reported. Inspired by a chance meeting with a local homeless person, Taylor Reed -- president of the frat -- decided to establish an organization to build tiny homes for people without a place to live.

Foundations for Tomorrow has set its sights on building 30 tiny homes that will populate an acre of land, and allow its inhabitants to develop a community where they will live, eat and work together, according to the group’s fundraising site.

A model for the less than 500-square-feet mobile residences is already on display at a public housing conference in Mobile, WHNT reported. Each home costs about $5,000 to build and a local organization offered to provide solar panels for each house.

While the frat members plan do all the handiwork on their own, they need to raise funds for building materials and to acquire a piece of land.

As of Friday, the group had raised $1,070 of their $10,000 goal.

Phi Kappa Psi is just one of a number of groups that have hopped on the growing homelessness solution.

Late last month, for example, Greensboro, North Carolina, took the initial steps in building the city’s first tiny home for its residents living in extreme poverty.

[Suich]

1. I'm a huge fan of Tiny Houses!

There has been a series on HGTV about them...one couple with 2 small kids, and a newlywed couple had one built, among a couple of others.

They're a very real viable alternative to "double sinks in the bathroom" and "granite countertops in the kitchen!"

[mfcorey1]

2. It would also be a good way for the Federal government to address

some of the problems of homelessness.

[Recursion]

4. There are more vacant foreclosed properties in Florida than homeless ppl

in the entire united states.

Shortage of housing stock is not why there is homelessness.

[Suich]

6. I'm assuming that's hyperbole...

[Recursion]

8. Nope. 750,000 homeless Americans on a given night (give or take)

And over a million vacant foreclosed residential properties in Florida.

[Suich]

9. Over a million in the whole country,

not in Florida alone. They've got maybe 100,000 total.

[FrodosPet]

5. Sounds good for others, but I will pass

I don't need much room to live in. But I would get claustrophobic in some I have seen. You need to minimize your material possessions, or be REALLY good about storage habits.

[Suich]

7. The TV shows are pretty funny.

To deal with the possessions, the guy in charge draws 3 circles in the yard of the house they're moving out of: one for donate, one for garbage, and one to save.

The one to save is really small, by comparison...it's what will actually fit inside a Tiny House.

[JanMichael]

13. are you homeless?

If you are, I am sorry. If you aren't-- then your opinion on this article is silly. It's not about You.

[Recursion]

3. I love tiny houses

Very green way to build

[Rhiannon12866]

10. K&R and kudos to these guys!!!

[Triana]

11. They better watch out that they don't get arrested for helping the poor and homeless.

That's a crime in parts of the US of Ass.

[zonkers]

12. Their heart is in the right place but homelessness is a very complex issue.

[mythology]

14. And they are trying to address one aspect of it

Are they fixing everything? Obviously not, but to say that if you can't do that, don't bother is defeatist.

[Le Taz Hot]

15. First time I've ever heard of a fraternity

that actually DOES something other than get drunk, bully people and rape drunk, passed-out females. Good for them. Let's hope they serve as an example of what fraternities can do.

[Rhinodawg]

16. Are the houses on wheels?

are they mobile?