A man who constructs small shelters to get people off the streets has revealed what’s inside – and they only cost £12,000 to build.
Elvis Summers, 47, dedicates his spare time solely to building tiny homes.
He has now crafted “hundreds” in a bid to get people off the streets.
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Measuring just 20ft, they include a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and working electricity.
And the rewarding feeling he gets for ensuring people have a place to stay for the night is what keeps him going.
“As an empath, I can feel others’ emotions as if they were my own,” he told What’s The Jam.
“To feel the relief, joy and hope that people feel is ultra rewarding.
“It fills my batteries right up.
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“It’s an amazing experience and I wish everyone could get on board.”
Before delving into The Tiny House Project, he worked every now and again in construction – but had a passion for helping people.
In 2015, he met Smokie, who was well-loved in their neighbourhood, but was sleeping in the dirt at the side of a house.
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Elvis, from California, US, says that despite everyone liking her, nobody seemed to care; and so he took matters into his own hands.
After building the mini house, costing only $500 (USD) (£400), in front of his apartment and seeing her reaction, he knew he couldn’t stop there.
Elvis said: “She slept for a day-and-a-half straight because for the first time, she actually felt safe.
“I haven’t kept track of how many I have built – but there’s been hundreds.
“People usually break down and cry.
“It’s a very emotional experience.
“It’s very unsafe on the streets, with your guard always up, and to sleep in unknown areas without shelter, not knowing what might happen, is a horrible place to be.
“To give someone a safe place where they won’t have to worry about possibly dying almost overwhelms people.
“There’s lots of gratitude and hugs.”
Most of the time, they’re built on trailers so they can be mobile but are often placed on foundations or blocks.
As there is a wide range of needs, he tries to ensure that each shelter is able to accommodate everything from a single-night stay to a long-term one.
It takes around a few days, up to a couple of weeks, to complete each project.
In 2023, there were reports that Los Angeles officials seized a set of Elvis’ tiny homes due to potential hazards.
To avoid this, he now makes emergency shelters – a secure room without running water and electricity – and the aforementioned full-size tiny homes.
The cost, on average, is anywhere between $7,000 – $15,000 (USD) (£5,000– £12,000) per build, depending on the size, but this is all generated via donations.
Sadly, though, due to the increase in costs – both for materials and in general – the demand is only getting harder to keep up with.
And so, Elvis is urging other people to get involved.
He said: “The increase in people in need is insane.
“Even if I was launched forward with millions of dollars, and could hire a solid crew, we wouldn’t be able to keep up.
“It’s going to take many groups, doing it the right way, and a whole lot of change in our society’s ways of thinking to end homelessness.
“The uptick in costs, too, has made things much harder to help people.
“We have limited funds in the first place and this means we’re not able to buy as much as we were once able to – and therefore, this leads to less homes.”
Currently, he’s still working alongside doing the project, as there isn’t enough money to also pay him a salary.
But this is ultimately his goal in the near future.
For now, he’s hoping to expand the project further and encourages those in favour to get involved.
He added: “Like everything in society these days, the reaction is very much down the middle.
“Some people love it, and others hate it.
“There is always someone who has a problem with it, which makes no sense to me.
“But I think the more people keep falling on troubled times, the more understanding there will be that it’s out of our control.
“Things are becoming quite unaffordable for most – and therefore, homelessness will only keep rising.
“Do it from a place of place and with a desire to help people.
“Keep an open mind, as everyone’s story is different.
“There are many challenges, but don’t give up.
“I enjoy building and creating, so I am open to other projects in the future.
“As long as it involves helping people, I’m in.”
