The man building tiny homes for the homeless in Los Angeles

My name is Elvis Summers and I build

tiny

houses for

homeless

people. In fact, they're here taking down these guys. A clean house is not a solution. It will be a free fall if I face the conditions to live it with music, reduce the planet right now, this city of Los Angeles always gets nervous, no one should be home, no one, but especially in one of the richest countries in the world. world. I build everything with screws I make a lot of mistakes and it's easy to fix your mistakes in Compton South Central La A pint-sized idea while Elvis spends the summer in a battle with the city authorities When you have nothing and nowhere to go, you know having something like this can also be a castle The mayor of Los Angeles has declared that the city is in the middle of a

homeless

crisis.

So Elvis is trying to figure it out one small house at a time. The idea of ​​the small house is very simple. It is shelter, food, water and shelter are not optional, they are necessary for human survival, so it is a temporary solution and, like the first stone and a foundation, if you will, to help the homeless. According to Elvis, these cheap, portable little houses are meant to be on the streets of La I need to fix these But right now. They don't move anywhere because the city authorities have banned them. So these used to belong to someone, uh, yeah.

And now they are not used. No, they've been sitting here for the better part of a year collecting dust and sand. Do you know people who struggle and suffer? Yes, it's really sad. I mean, it's seeing how there is human life here. You know Los Angeles authorities have accused their

tiny

houses of threatening public safety, but Elvis is seeing the tiny house movement. Go viral online with support from around the world. So with health-dependent net crowdfunding, you wrote once completed. They all have new carpet and pad. There will be alarms on the windows. I put in the vents.

I leave these holes at the top. You know it's very hot here in the summer, so that way the heat will rise and die down in the city of Angels. Elvis is not considered by the palace but for the homeless. He is one of the few who fights to get them off the streets. I don't give up, I don't give in and I definitely don't bow down to bullies. People need shelter now, and if I have to build a little house for each one, last person Until I'm 500 years old Then that's what I'm going to do Elvis is

building

his next house for a woman named Cuervo So there are some people who live here Crows living under this Pollan car next to a three day old Raro R.

It's unhygienic and far from safe. Raven, a much worse situation than when Elvis last saw him, even wearing a bulletproof vest while he visited Lee rare aur Metallus. Hey, yeah, let's have Ravens be on and off the streets for most of his life, I think why social narrative Yeah, right. Yes, after running away from a violent home when she was only 13, she once had a small house, but since the city forced her off the streets. She's been out of it. Here. Are you OK? tired After getting the small house, I actually did pretty well. I was able to accumulate and I will say a pretty good light.

They're letting us hang out and then when I sit next to us, what do I do? Like ice cream, Elvis is concerned about the state of this communal camp and brings Raven a tent. Until he can build you a new little house, I'm going to find the store and join you in a bit. while Alone Raven talks about her situation It's been a struggle there The city always kicked us out of where we say they say they cleaned up the cleaning and moved Who wants to constantly move their stuff every day without using Disco is very stressful?

Ravens is here because she feels the emergency shelters are overbooked. It's safe, but the city's laws are designed to repeat themselves. The camps are and, as if on cue, he receives a visit. It's okay, it's okay. Then he said we have to move. I have to move all this to Saturday. You better call. Elvis Elvis has a Raven truck they gave him Matcha Waters And he's running out of places to go they want everyone in the center anyway all in one session It's not going to happen people are trying to spread out branching out Who's going to get away from the center?

They want everyone to be in the center. Is there a repairman in the center of Skid Row today? worst place in history to be homeless downtown If you are homeless in La, the city's laws to keep the streets clear give you two options, keep moving over the months to grow. This is the only place where you can set up a tent without the city forcing you to do so. getting out But Elvis' tiny houses aren't allowed on Skid Row is exactly different than anything else in the United States. I call it the worst man-made disaster in the United States.

Hello how are you? Well? Andy Bails runs a large emergency shelter in the middle of Skid Row. Would you like to know the number of women seeking help? Do you know right? Always welcome another year. What is your name? Yeah? Deborah, a pleasure to meet you. I bless you, you have pretty eyes. Andy uses crutches last year, he lost a lake because of the flesh-eating bacteria that still exist here every day. He's out inviting new arrivals to the shelter because he knows how bad it gets for over 2,000 people. These streets are 49 square blocks of Skid Row.

It's the worst we've seen. Just to give you an idea, you really need to look at that street. There isn't a single open spot of cement or sidewalk for probably a half mile down the road in that direction. Elvis' tiny houses are designed as an option to avoid sleeping on Skid Row because an increasing number of women and children sleep next to drug and mental crime here. sick And the police are the only source of protection I feel it constantly here day and night I Maintaining order here can be a struggle running in handcuffs The man was running in handcuffs.

It was fast and one night every now and then on the street, and I can't sleep because it's very dangerous. I need to be alert, rats run around knocking over people running in their tents and people are often beaten, assaulted or raped and that can actually damage your mental health quite quickly, so I am totally in favor of small houses. But there must be sanitary facilities and showers. Otherwise, 30 people were in dangerous living conditions. It's like they live in a tent. That's why Andy's shelter maintains an open-door policy, but he's struggling to keep up with demand.

Across town, shelters are full and many are having to turn people away. The simple fact that there are not enough elevators. shelter there are not enough deaths 47,000 homeless people and there are about 12,000 beds in shelters or beds in transitional housing even if the people on the streets right now decided to come There is nowhere to go. There is no place to go. What is the private good? With limited access to emergency shelters and low-cost housing, life on the streets of Los Angeles is an endless game of cat and mouse. Because the city was charged with keeping the streets clean.

Good morning everyone, this team from the Department of Health is about to move among the homeless. skid row camps Make sure you have your Tyvek suits on make sure you're duct taped Be careful with syringes be careful with hazardous materials be careful with human mode Industrial operations like this happen daily in Los Angeles to keep the streets clear, forcing homeless people to be constantly on the move. We are here every day on Skid Row. Each street is cleaned once every two weeks of the cycle. What we are doing is a great effort. But I think it is essential for the livability of the city.

It is essential for the economic growth of the city and also for the image of the city. This equipment will put more than five tons. In the garbage truck today, anything that looks unhealthy. Most of it will be trash, but some of it will be children of people in these few positions. So by cleaning out this attic you are providing a statement and helping the environment for someone. How is the decision on this? gun? Boy, you're in a waste. Yes that's fine. The city gives advance notice to clean up, but not everyone gets the message. Today there is an unfortunate one.

How do people react when you ask them to move on? They like it because we are cleaning. I mean if you are a homeless person living on the street. Do you want to live on a queen sidewalk or a focused sidewalk. They see the value in us pleading for this But the city's focus on keeping streets clean means greater instability when living on them. It is also one of the main reasons why Elvise Tiny Houses blamed hindering operations like this The way it is the feeling that the permanent sent to the street So we can't clean the area and if you go in, it's not safe.

The conditions are given, so basically the City has made the determination that those should not be on the street. It is an astonishingly fast operation. Here A little over 45 minutes into this section of the street outside the union mission is finished and cleaned and people are starting to filter in honor of him. Here, ahead. It's like making more of us. We like to lose that you have that handful of positions to come back and find if you leave later in the day. I returned to the Ravenson campus. They made a mess of the crazy people, they basically took what they wanted and found out that by giving me belongings to wake up and be devastated.

His property was destroyed. Do you mind if I ask you what's wrong? Paulino, did you come in with me? You know They said they killed me the rules that you have to be 10 feet away from the driveway The tent has to be down to talk tonight And this is rainy, and that's 72 hours to move my scope Christine is new to the streets with price exhausted from the rental market. She's desperately trying to get back into an apartment She saves money by collecting recyclables But the authorities just took away her entire week's work Are they digging up what they recycled for us because we were sick?

It's my room fighting. I could get an apartment. I can be my dog ​​again Street This cleanup means Christine will be here longer than it matters And that's why I came to attend Now we should say "well" For many homeless people in Los Angeles, the lack of affordable housing makes it almost impossible to get off the streets Less than 3% of the city's rental market is vacant As Raven wakes up and Elvis's tiny house Christine is determined to make it on her own With last week's worth confiscated tonight. She is back to collecting recyclables. How can you tell a year by the sound?

Well, if you were here without looking at it, what is this? Okay, yes, okay. He works almost until dawn to save for an apartment with a smile. Quite a bit of snow just looking at what I have, how much I make and I always make between 180 and 220 a week. You know, and that's enough for me. for me to survive. You know, I'm talking about my tank, you know little by little We walk for most of the night and then Christine shows me something heartbreaking. This is the famous Blue House of Festival House that I called my own.

Another fierce memory, so it's about time, uh, this. It's my home. Yes, I was. You miss him, huh? I do, it was home before the walls. Was all that seen with applause? But I'll have that again, which I said, God's time in mine, okay, so keep that in mind This was my backyard So we'll trade you, okay? Elvis' tiny houses could help people like Christine get back on their feet. That in Compton puts pressure on Raven's little house to be finished, but she still needs to find a place. We can put it somewhere that city cleaning can't easily find.

These are just two of the more than 8,000 checkpoint lots in the city. But they are all fenced and boarded up, they are not allowed. And while she searches, she receives a call from Raven with an unexpected message. update Are you okay? That's news that turns good news on its head. Yes, I'm pregnant. This morning it turned out that I'm crazy, wait. I'm going to. Call my driving epic. Shit. Hopefully, hopefully when the baby is here. I will have my life together. Elvis is already worried about Raven, but he must have some enthusiasm. Well, listen, I have a race right now, but I'll call you later.

That's great news. We have to celebrate. I'm like I want to trick you. Oh, I want to jump for joy and cry at the same time. It's like This is how quickly a change of circumstances can affect your life. It goes from bad to worse when you're on the street with everything at stake for the little house. I want to see how the crows deal with the news of her pregnancy. Despite getting accommodation to move, she is still here in the same camp. Oh, God, you don't want to go. The other day I had an always.

Like he was a little worried about the conditions. I'm living in this moment. I have a lot of things to attend to. I don't know if I will have enough time to take care of all that.It's what makes me feel like I want to get off these streets, but getting off the streets is hard even for us. She talks more and she reveals the devastating level of violence. She said she like a child relative. Oh, he was listed as a runaway juvenile. I was nine years old, my dad. My dad was in prison our entire lives and my mom was five months pregnant with me.

She committed murder and things like that, we killed a woman, a young girl like that. Basically, I have no choice but to grow before we actually time. The crows had to learn to be tough, but she's right on the edge. As more and more Americans say. Claire. She has fallen deeply into the cycle of long-term homelessness With no immediate way out When your life is the size of a tent, hope can be a powerful tool It's almost delivery day and with news that Ravens is pregnant. Elvis is adding a special finishing touch to his little home like the Milky Way.

He took something to help her feel better, and you know, help her feel like she has a night sky to look at. Elvis knows how important little details like this can be. He has seen many people lose hope in the streets. Since the city made me take people's houses, three people have died mainly from getting caught in the elements and having nowhere to go. So He's a Criminal It's a photo of Smokey sitting on the doorstep of his little house. One of the people who died was his close friend Smokey. Who received the first New Year from the first tiny house this morning?

I found her dead in someone else's store, not even hers because the city took her too, so it's pretty simple, without shelter, people die. It's been a few months, but she was a good person, she was my friend and I miss her a lot inside. The city council is pushing to create more housing. The city has approved a multimillion-dollar strategy to help the homeless. But it will take ten years to build ten thousand new units. That's way down tomorrow, but officials refuse to accept Elvis' tiny houses. For me, a tiny house in a city parking space is not a solution.

We are providing this service to those people. Who would stay in these small houses without the right things? infrastructure in Place City Councilman Joe Buscaino opposed tiny houses in his district because of concerns from angry visitors. There has to be someone watching the place. Otherwise, it will be a pitched battle. It will be sex drugs and rock and roll and I mean, they would rate me, you have to have some rules in the price. So Facebook man City is back, yes, and they are here eliminating these guys with that thing about Elvis and cities, it is clear. intense once again This time at Raven and Christine's camp right now that load lying there That was a pristine shelf she had her boat in that place and a plate Event that is considered a bulky item so it will go in the container of trash Almost half of Raven and Christine The sanitation department takes away the belongings, but the crows are not present, so only Christine is here to see them.

They say that you don't meet the requirements well, you hit rock bottom. This is my fund, here all that money spent. You can spend half of that and get these people somewhere to go, but instead. They treat them like animals. Are you going? I don't know, I don't think I can last much longer. He's not resting. You really do it in your life. I do. With Ravens I can't demolish most of the missing positions and with a baby on the way Elvis must give up his little house before my school. I finally found a suitable spot for Ravens' little house in a mostly quiet area. industrial It's not going to affect anyone Elvis and Raven hope that this road to downtown La, far from Skid Row, will be safe from the authorities The authorities who must continue to keep the streets of La clean have finally come For the delivery of the house small and how do you feel very good?

Fight against everything. I feel very good. And we won't do a lot of drama, a lot of changes. I've been going through a lot lately, let's help this little house, Lisa's forever home after the week she's had and everything she's been through besides being pregnant. It's more important now that she gets the house because I don't. I think she can last much longer because she couldn't rest. He's really good. Bye bye. Good luck, I do. What do you think? I think I'm going to say. Wow, all the power, Johnny. How to take two? I got a couple to practice that way.

I looked, I cheated, I looked inside and said. Most of the things I do in life are outside. from start. I was taught that if someone falls, you pick them up. That's what we should do in life. Do you remember that day when they called you? Yes, he called me. She said you know people sit on the back porch. Look at the stars, so I'm looking at a blue tarp. Yes, yes, surely you can fit in with another person who is a little tired of looking like stars, it's great. You have to match a little. So finally Raven will have her own private space.

Hopefully it will be the first time in a year. Good evening sir, how long do you think it will last? I wish I could stay with that forever. I wish Opera Garden could last forever oh