In 2004 Irene 'Smokie' McGee lost her husband. She couldn't afford to live in the house they shared in Los Angeles, ending up living on the streets.
Elvis Summers, a Californian resident took it upon himself to help Irene, when he realised that not only had she been homeless for a decade, but she didn't even have blankets or cardboard to sleep on at night.
So what did Elvis do?
He built Irene her own tiny home.
Speaking to The Independent, Elvis explained:
"I knew she was homeless, but only found out about three weeks ago that she didn't even have a tarp or a cardboard box to sleep in."
"I can barely keep my own lights on, but I saw that a 60-year-old woman was sleeping literally in the dirt, next to a house - a house where everybody carries on with their happy, warm lives, enjoying their hot showers, and toilets to use, the food in their fridge, clean water to drink, electricity, TV, etc.
"I went right to the hardware store and decided to buy the materials to build her a tiny house so she could at least have a warm, safe place to sleep instead of the dirt. It was more important than a couple bills which I'm sure I can pay late and catch up on."1
The tiny home took five days to build, using donated materials and $500 (£330) worth of wood.
LA authorities have approved the house as long as it is moved every 72 hours and since Elvis launched his 'Tiny House Huge Purpose' campaign, a local church has offered a 10,000 square foot patch of land for tiny homes to be parked.
A beautiful and compassionate action that has turned around one person's life and will for do the same for many more in the future.
Further resources
Visit here: Tiny House Huge Purpose to support Elvis' campaign and help many other homeless people
The moveable tiny home that Chris and Malissa built
Build your own home for less than $3,500 (£2,300)
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It's a great idea. I'm trying