Lots of people don’t have a home. It can happen if they don’t have a job and have no money. But getting a job can be extra difficult if you don’t have a proper home. That can be what we call a vicious circle – no job, no home; no home, no job…
That’s where Franck Renaudin and Juliette Martin have had a brilliant idea to help homeless people in the French city of Rouen. Franck read a magazine article about tiny houses – micro homes that look a little like a caravan but that have bathrooms, kitchens and everything that you need to live in all the time. They are much cheaper to build than a normal house (and they’re also much kinder to the planet!).
Tiny houses would make great homes for people who don’t have a roof over their head, thought Franck. And, because they’re quite simple to make, he could also give people jobs building tiny houses, for themselves – and for others.
A virtuous circle!
He’s already tested out offering tiny houses to the homeless. One man Franck helped, called Alex, has had nowhere proper to live for six months. He says his new tiny house, which is about the size of one room in a normal house, was brilliant. And, he says, having somewhere nice to live means he should be able to get a job again soon.
Franck and Juliette have launched a campaign to raise money to set up “La Fabrik à Yoops” – The Yoops Factory – where they reckon they could build 40 tiny houses a year. That will provide jobs and homes for people who have problems today. It’s what we call not a vicious but a virtuous circle !
Do you fancy visiting a tiny house and seeing how it can be a great way of being cosy and being kind to the environment? Well, WoW! News went to see a young man called Lars last winter, who started building his own tiny house when he was still at school. Take the tour with Lars here!
