Hawaii residents are building tiny homes for lava evacuees

Last month on Hawaii’s Big Island, lava began flowing from the Kilauea volcano. Ash, eruptions, and earthquakes drove thousands of residents from their homes, resulting in a housing shortage for people who were unable to find both short and long-term solutions.

Fortunately, a bit of relief is on the way in the form of tiny houses. For the past week, over 100 volunteers from the local carpenters union, business community, and more, as well as the National Guard, have worked together to erect 20 small homes that fill an eight-acre plot of land behind a church.

The 120-square-foot houses are built entirely by local residents and use donated materials. While the structures themselves are modest—beige with a simple shed roof—the effort behind them is not. This community’s response is an impressive example of how rapid relief architecture can take form when a community bands together.

“The goal is to view this as a revolving door,” Darryl Oliveira, safety manager at HPM Building Supply, one of the local businesses that pitched in, tells Hawaii News Now. “People coming in here having the time and opportunity to sort through things find permanent solutions and do it in a private secure setting.”

Hope Services Hawaii, the faith-based non-profit organization leading the project, is currently looking for additional sites to complete similar projects.

Via: Hawaii News Now