--- title: Tiny Houses for Homeless in Portland Oregon description: Portland Oregon to explore the use of micro-homes for the homeless canonical: https://time.com/3177905/tiny-houses-homeless-portland-oregon/ author: Anita Hamilton article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-26T17:14:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:43:27.211Z og:title: Tiny Houses for the Homeless in Portland og:description: A better solution than large-scale shelters? og:url: https://time.com/3177905/tiny-houses-homeless-portland-oregon/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt326199553d1c6f15/6986a0de3bc99949a11a509f/ap751811691274.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2590 og:image:height: 1457 og:image:alt: Homeless in the Pearl og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Tiny Houses for the Homeless in Portland twitter:description: A better solution than large-scale shelters? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt326199553d1c6f15/6986a0de3bc99949a11a509f/ap751811691274.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Portland Plans Tiny Houses for the Homeless > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=4f075bf1-819b-4117-a12c-5347a73b1edf&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=4f075bf1-819b-4117-a12c-5347a73b1edf&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=4f075bf1-819b-4117-a12c-5347a73b1edf&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ## Video: Less Is More: The Tiny House Movement [Watch (HLS stream): Less Is More: The Tiny House Movement](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/s7y9TwUs.m3u8) (5:04)  _Published 2014-05-30. Can houses as small as 84 square feet on wheels be the future for urban housing challenges? Watch this video on simplified housing that benefits the affluent and the poor._ by [Anita Hamilton](https://time.com/author/anita-hamilton/) ## Anita Hamilton Aug 26, 2014 5:14 PM UTC  A person walks by the Right 2 Dream Too homeless camp in Portland, Ore. on Oct. 4, 2013. A person walks by the Right 2 Dream Too homeless camp in Portland, Ore. on Oct. 4, 2013. Don Ryan—AP by [Anita Hamilton](https://time.com/author/anita-hamilton/) ## Anita Hamilton Aug 26, 2014 5:14 PM UTC With an estimated 2,000 of its residents sleeping under bridges, on streets and in empty lots in a variety of makeshift shelters, the city of Portland, Oregon, is on a quest to provide more safe housing for those without a permanent address. Thinking beyond typical dorm-style shelters, it has launched a task force that will meet September 4th “to assess the viability of using tiny homes as a potential for housing houseless people,” says Josh Alpert, Director of Strategic Initiatives for Mayor Charlie Hales. Alpert hopes the first batch of homes will be ready for occupancy by late February 2015. The mayor’s office began looking into the idea of micro homes in June after housing advocate Michael Withey presented an idea to the city council based on designs by architecture firm TechDwell. Alpert says he envisions a pilot program in which up to ten structures are erected on four separate city-owned lots. The idea is to establish the micro communities in various neighborhoods “so that no one area is feeling overburdened,” Alpert adds.  TechDwell The tiny houses will be selected through a request-for-proposals process and will hinge on two key factors: cost and the ability to meet city and county building codes. Tim Cornell of TechDwell, who has already met with Alpert to discuss his prototype, says he can deliver micro homes that sleep two people and have bathrooms and kitchens built-in for $20,000 each. His FlexDwell prototype (shown at right) measures 16 feet wide and 12 feet deep and features a sloped ceiling that is 12-ft. high in front. Made of prefab materials available at Home Depot and Lowe’s, it includes two sleeping pods joined by a kitchen, bathroom and eating area. To save space, the bathroom shares a sink with the kitchen. “We could have them built on-site in 45 days” after an order is placed, Cornell says. Because the tiny houses offer dwellers more privacy than big shelters, they may appeal to people who are reluctant to give up the sense of independence that comes from living on the street. The micro homes could also be cheaper than temporary emergency shelters, which cost up to $16,000 a year and lack plumbing. “If there is a potential to get even one person off the streets, it’s worth trying,” says Alpert. “Simply having a roof over their head may enable them to springboard into finding a job.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3177905/tiny-houses-homeless-portland-oregon/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3177905/tiny-houses-homeless-portland-oregon/"},"headline":"Portland Plans Tiny Houses for the Homeless","datePublished":"2014-08-26T17:14:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:43:27.211Z","description":"Designed to give residents greater privacy and independence than traditional shelters, the micro homes may persuade people who currently live in Portland's \"tent cities\" to relocate to the sturdier structures","url":"https://time.com/3177905/tiny-houses-homeless-portland-oregon/","keywords":["Newsfeed","society","housing","Portland","oregon","homeless"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt326199553d1c6f15/6986a0de3bc99949a11a509f/ap751811691274.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Anita Hamilton","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/anita-hamilton/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt326199553d1c6f15/6986a0de3bc99949a11a509f/ap751811691274.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Homeless in the Pearl","caption":"Homeless in the Pearl","creditText":"Don Ryan—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3177905/tiny-houses-homeless-portland-oregon/","name":"Portland Plans Tiny Houses for the Homeless"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Less Is More: The Tiny House Movement","description":"Can houses as small as 84 square feet on wheels be the future for urban housing challenges? Watch this video on simplified housing that benefits the affluent and the poor.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/s7y9TwUs/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-05-30T20:44:42.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/s7y9TwUs.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3177905/tiny-houses-homeless-portland-oregon/","duration":"PT5M4S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3177905/tiny-houses-homeless-portland-oregon/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```