Homelessness is everywhere, and so are the number of incomplete solutions aimed at addressing it. In San Diego, the unhoused don’t have great options for housing: they can choose to live on the street or in a shelter; or, if arrested for breaking San Diego’s homeless ordinance, the police station.
But, down the block from Ward Canyon Park where San Diego’s unhoused population have spilled into, one woman has been working to solve San Diego’s homelessness, one home at a time – just not the way you might imagine.
Tiny Home Central Founder Ellen Stone has been a self-proclaimed tiny home advocate ever since she initially learned about them in 2012.
Stone has two tiny homes in addition to the house she lives in. Only one of her houses is permitted by the city; the 170 square foot 1 bed, 1 bath sits in her backyard, built by Urban Corps of San Diego County. She’s only one of four people in San Diego county legally permitted to have a tiny home.
“This is the first movable tiny house that was permitted in the city of San Diego,” Stone said. “We brought it in March 2023, and rented it out to the student experiencing the risk of homelessness in September [2023].”
The second tiny home – a showroom not meant to be permitted – sits in her driveway.
Tours for both homes are available for anyone interested in the tiny home lifestyle or in Ellen’s process of constructing and permitting her tiny homes.
To Stone, tiny homes equate to better quality of life.
The smaller size means easier cleaning. More importantly, tiny homes are financially easier for both tenants and owners. High housing costs have been linked as one of the main factors for homelessness.
Prices for tiny homes fluctuate. The cost of construction and installation, size and whether or not sewage service is connected impact how expensive the home is for the property owner. But, regardless of their make and model, tiny homes still equate to a cheaper cost of living in the context of owning regular homes.
“The scenario here, all the costs were the property owners,” Stone said. “We paid for the tiny house, the property improvements; the permitting so we could then earn the rental income.”
Average costs for the Warrior Village Project’s models sit around $55,000; Stone paid around $75,000 – an additional $20,000 to assist the nonprofit with additional funds to source their materials and start their program.
She continued, “There are other scenarios where the property owner partners with someone who owns their own tiny home.”
Homeless people and people at risk of experiencing homelessness aren’t the only groups who benefit from tiny homes. According to Stone, other demographics include eco-conscious homeowners, frequent travellers; retirees, veterans; people on tight budgets and people interested in the minimalist lifestyle.
The tiny home in Stone’s driveway tells the story of a different demographic: a lofted bed above a kitchenette and bathroom, complete with a space for entertaining: the story of a family of three.
Stone hasn’t always been able to offer tours of these homes, much less, even have them on her property.
Laws allowing tiny home living didn’t exist before October 2020.
Stone, herself, spearheaded the organized efforts to create the “Movable Tiny House” ordinance.
Every year, she attended TinyFest at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. It was a chance to meet state officials – show them that tiny homes weren’t sheds – reassure them that tiny homes met health and safety guidelines and were beneficial solutions for affordable housing.
“There were lots of tiny houses for people to tour,” Stone said. “It gave city leadership first-hand experience, like, ‘Oh, this is a house. This is a real house. This just happens to be on a trailer, and this could be a solution for affordable housing in our community.’”
The fairgrounds were also a chance to connect state officials with city staff and advocates; connection meant that city staff could learn how to best write and implement tiny home ordinances in their cities. The entire process took Stone five years.
“I didn't know that I would be one of the first to permit,” Stone said. “I was just trying to make it possible for people – anyone.”
While legislative hurdles have been minimized – at least in the City of San Diego – social hurdles still exist. Misinformation about tiny homes can play into how a permitted city might respond; community responses play a major role inhibiting the implementation of a tiny home.
According to Stone, some residents can confuse moveable tiny homes for sleeping cabins, which are temporary shelters.
“The concerns that community members have about [sleeping cabins] is that there will be crime and drug use,” Stone said. “It's a NIMBY response of being worried about homeless people who have issues that aren't being addressed, and having [those issues] spill over into their community’”
The response to Stone’s moveable tiny home in Normal Heights has fared better than the response to the sleeping cabins in Lemon Grove – Stone made sure of that.
“People walk down the street and they [become interested],” Stone said. “[My neighbors] have come to my open houses and toured it, asked questions. Most of them are. I haven’t come across anyone that’s angry about it.”
She hopes that continuing her community work – hosting open houses, having conversations with residents and city officials – will aid in ending homelessness nationwide.
“There are people doing the work at the community level – community organizing and trying to shift the ways people think; but also on the legislative level and the nonprofit sector,” Stone said. “You need all of these parts to get all of these gears moving.”