Victoria man builds tiny home on wheels that could provide shelter to homeless

The idea of micro-homes has caught on around the world. In Victoria, for instance, crews are building a four-storey 122-unit building that features units that are as small as 250 square feet.

But Victoria’s Peter Gould has developed living quarters that would make a micro-home look like a mansion.

Gould has built a tiny shelter the size of a shopping cart that he hopes will help ease suffering for the homeless, at least temporarily.

“It’s a totally different experience than waking up on the street,” he said.

Gould would know. He was once homeless himself, spending $500 of his money to build the prototype, which is about two feet wide, six feet long and three feet high. The home on wheels comes with a handle that can be used to move it or secure with a padlock.

Gould also received a $100 donation from a homeless advocacy group and was also provided a workspace. In less than a month, the project was complete and ready to be shown off.

“Everybody that sees it, loves it and can see the value in it because they struggle with the same issues – the cold and the wet and keeping your stuff dry and secure,” Gould said.

There may be potential to expand, setting up a social enterprise that would help address the growing problem of homelessness.

“You could actually have a little community that’s safe for people at night time,” Grant McKenzie, communications director for Our Place Society, said. “For some people it would an ideal solution and something that could be implemented fairly quickly too.”

The City of Victoria said it supports the innovative idea and would be open to looking for private land where such a community could work.

– With files from Kylie Stanton