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Housing Advocates Hope Tiny Houses Can Have Big Impact On Housing Crisis On Central, South Coasts

Rita Morris has done something many people are struggling to do on the Central and South Coasts.  Morris has become a homeowner.  But, her home is part of a cutting edge movement, because it’s not a traditional home.  It’s what’s known as a “tiny house.”

Morris says while it’s smaller than a traditional home, the roughly 200 square foot house has all of the basic things you’d expect, from a shower to a stove.  She's one of the first people to take advantage of a new ordinance in the City of San Luis Obispo which allows people to live in tiny homes on wheels.

Anne Wyatt is Executive Director of Smart Share Housing Solutions, a non-profit group which is working to improve access to affordable housing in San Luis Obispo County.  Wyatt says the tiny home provide an affordable housing alternative for people like single professionals.

Morris moved to the Central Coast five years ago.  The healthcare professional says she quickly realized how expensive traditional homes were in the region.  Morris says had the tiny home custom built locally, and once the ordinance passed, worked out a deal to place it in the backyard of a San Luis Obispo home.

Wyatt says they are going to be showcasing tiny homes this weekend.  It’s an event called “Tiny Footprint: Central Coast Tiny House and Net Zero Expo.”   The expo will kick off with a VIP event Friday, with seminars and tours Saturday and Sunday.  The expo takes place in Madonna Meadows in San Luis Obispo

Information on Tiny House event:  www.homeshareslo.org/smart-share

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.