How The Tiny Home Movement Changed This Homeless Woman's Life

LA resident Elvis Summers first met Smokie when she came to his door to ask if he had extra recyclables to spare. When he realized the 60-year-old homeless woman was sleeping in dirt just down the street from his apartment, he wanted to give her more than just spare cans. Inspired by an article he read about an Oakland man who builds small homes out of discarded materials, he decided to try his hand at building a tiny shelter for Smokie.

By putting some of his own bills on hold, Elvis managed to scrape up $500 worth of supplies and build a tiny home on wheels for Smokie in just five days. This touching video shows the fascinating building process and the emotional moment when Smokie unlocks the door to her tiny home for the first time.

Inspired by the huge impact the tiny house has had on Smokie's life, Elvis decided to launch Mythpla (My Tiny House Project LA) to build more tiny homes for the homeless and hire them to help him build the houses. For more information, check out Elvis's crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe!