Big dispute over Tiny Home

Tiny houses that are part of a non-profit’s project to provide low-income housing on Detroit’s west side. The programme, which rents homes to low-income residents and helps them build equity as homeowners, was rocked when one of the initial participants, — ©2023 The New York Times Company

ON the west side of Detroit, Michigan, near a commercial strip lined with vacant lots, empty shops, storefront churches and motorcycle clubs, sits a cluster of relatively new, micro-size houses – 21 sq m to 44 sq m – that look more like seasonal cottages in a resort town.

The Tiny Homes, as they’re known, were built by a non-profit group and have marble shower stalls, granite kitchen countertops and solar panels. They are intended for low-income residents who pay monthly rent of US$10 per square metre, along with electricity, with the option to own the home outright after seven years.