A common refrain when presented with the homelessness crisis in the United States is the recognition that we have far more empty houses in this country than homeless individuals. In close proximity to this utopic solution would be one that sought to pair homeless individuals with homeowners, and this is exactly what officials in California are promoting. California is now offering subsidies for homeowners to incentivize them to construct small shelters and tiny homes in their backyards.

Programs of this nature help us reimagine homelessness as a societal problem to which each and every one of us can contribute a small solution. Rather than housing for the masses being the responsibility of ineffectual governmental agencies, we can offer a solution ourselves by sharing resources, opening our heart, and opening our homes and properties to those in need. These personal approaches humanize and make neighborly those individuals that society has shunned.