Dignity Village in Portland: Tiny Houses for the Homeless

Brad Gibson had been homeless for years, going from low paying jobs to no job at all, when he connected with a group of highly organized homeless activists in Portland, OR. The group had banded together to demand the right to exist somewhere, in spite of a totally monetized, expensive consumer society that seems to chew up and spit out those who can’t make enough money to "exist". Finally they obtained the right to lease a parking lot belonging to the Portland D.O.T. and, with city and community help, they built a little village. Somehow reminiscent of the pioneer towns of the mid-1800s, the community is called Dignity Village. Comprised of multiple tiny houses, some of which are quite tidy and cute, the village affords temporary shelter (3 years renewable) to sixty people at a time. Dignity Village not only offers hope but a glimpse into both the past and the future, giving us a sense into what simple settlers rebuilding their lives from the ground up may look like.