City promise of mini-houses delayed
Last August, the city promised to create modular mini houses for the homeless, putting some on Louvain West and some in the Hippodrome area. But heavy snow meant a delay and the project is now promised for this summer.
TVA put the image above on their news front page. I find it hard to believe the city plans anything so quaint. Something like functional barracks is more to be expected (and could be perfectly fine).
TVA is also reporting on the return of encampments to Notre‑Dame East.
Ian 10:19 on 2025-04-19 Permalink
Quaint as it may be, that’s a garden shed on wheels.
The CTV version shown in the video is a small portable, like what construction sites use as breakrooms. Grim, but more functional.
Chris 11:50 on 2025-04-19 Permalink
Seems like the opposite of grim to me. Grim is living in a tent, under a bridge, with no plumbing.
Kate 12:30 on 2025-04-19 Permalink
CBC radio mentioned there would be laundry on site, and some kind of support group type arrangements for the residents. They didn’t mention whether there would be communal dining. But people aren’t given a bed and left to their own devices.
It’s a practical admission that it isn’t only children and old people that might need constant support to get by. We don’t like admitting this.
Ian 15:00 on 2025-04-19 Permalink
@chris grim as compared to a cute little wagon. We don’t need to play reductio ad absurdum.
Blork 18:33 on 2025-04-19 Permalink
I don’t know if the wagon in the illustration is what they’re going to use, or if it’s just for illustration purposes (likely the latter). But little houses like that are very popular in the “tiny house” movement that was big a decade ago and which is still alive but in decline as the reality of living in such a small space sets in for people.
The hip “tiny house” versions are adorable. Very compact, with everything inside designed for maximum efficiency and cuteness. Note the use of the word “hip” as this is a phenomenon from the hipster era (remember that?) where everything was highly curated and just so.
There’s no way that’s what the mini-houses for the unhoused will be like, but hopefully they will at least be well designed for maximum efficiency and comfort under the given constraints, which can make living in a such a small space tolerable.
Kate 09:23 on 2025-04-20 Permalink
I found some of the tiny house coverage annoying. There was one item, I think in the Gazette, that praised a woman with a tiny house somewhere in the West Island. As you read on, you realized this “house” was in the back yard of her parents’ full‑size house, which was right there if she wanted to do laundry or any real cooking. What she had was a cute privacy module in the grounds of a family wealthy enough to host it. Not much use for most of us.
Ian 13:01 on 2025-04-20 Permalink
My brother has a garden shed big enough that he insulated it and uses it as a studio. I had no idea I should have congratulated him on his second home.
Joey 13:10 on 2025-04-20 Permalink
The same people who adore tiny houses heap scorn on small condos.
Jonathan 08:31 on 2025-04-21 Permalink
I adore tiny homes and don’t heap scorn on small condos