Promoting Safety and Connection During COVID-19: Tiny Homes as an Innovative Response to Homelessness in the USA

Using an international human rights framework, this study explores how tiny home villages have provided unhoused individuals with critical shelter necessary for preserving health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, while attending to the needs of social connection and community maintenance. The gaps and inadequacies of conventional shelter systems in the USA for people experiencing homelessness have been highlighted by COVID-19. Physical distancing can be challenging for people experiencing homelessness due to the crowded congregate shelters and encampments. Furthermore, closed agencies and limited transportation can increase risk for isolation. People experiencing homelessness are more likely than the general population to have health risks, such as diabetes and heart disease, both of which can increase the risk of death for people who test positive for COVID-19. Through qualitative analysis of 32 open-ended survey responses of experts working and/or living in tiny home communities addressing homelessness, we explore how these leaders in the field responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two primary themes emerged through analysis: (1) villages prioritize safety through physical distancing, and (2) villages preserve social connection and combat isolation. This balance of being responsive to the safety guidelines of COVID-19, while also maintaining social connection and community building, highlights the need for social work to embrace new and innovative responses to homelessness and other social issues, particularly given the uncertainties and complexities of the future.