Definition: THOWs – refers to a Tiny House on Wheels
To us, this is one of the key features of going tiny. The fact that you are no longer tied to one piece of ground. Your house is your home and your home is wherever you are. While tiny homes aren’t built to travel all the time #vanlife they are designed to go with you when you move. So pack up your house, not your stuff and take it with you when you move. #nomovingboxes
Here are the 49 Ontario cities we are planning to visit on our #TinyHomeTour2018. Which one will have the unique distinction of hosting the #FirstTinyTown
Ajax, Aurora, Barrie, Belleville, Brampton, Brantford, Burlington, Caledon (Bolton), Cambridge, Chatham – Kent, Clarington
(Bowmanville – Newcastle), Cornwall, Georgina (Keswick), Greater Sudbury (Grand Sudbury), Guelph, Haldimand (Cayuga – Caledonia – Hagersville), Halton Hills (Georgetown), Hamilton, Kawartha Lakes (Lindsay), Kingston, Kitchener, London, Markham, Milton, Mississauga, Newmarket, Niagara Falls, Norfolk (Simcoe), North Bay, Oakville, Oshawa, Ottawa, Peterborough, Pickering, Quinte West (Trenton), Richmond Hill, Sarnia, Sault Ste. Marie, St. Catharines, Thunder Bay, Timmins, Toronto, Vaughan, Waterloo, Welland, Whitby, Whitchurch – Stouffville, Windsor, Woodstock
We plan to be in each city for 1 week and will hold open houses for the public, media, and local government. Stay tuned for dates and times. #affordablehousing #homelessness
I was asked in a Facebook group the other day if only the Association would own all Tiny Towns across Canada. This was a perspective I had not considered up to that point. After a bit of thought, here was my reply:
“No, anyone can buy land, build, own and operate a Town and we will even share our designs and information, plus we will also allow them to link into our booking system if they want. Our interest is in developing the network so that tiny homes can be a housing option. We are also open to joint ventures.”
The Association is not about accumulating land, building towns or operating them. The Association is about helping tiny homes become a housing option by facilitating legal places for them to park. Regardless of whether we build them or others do, what is important is that they get built so that tiny homeowners have places to live.
We are developing a set of standards that we will provide anyone wishing to build a town that is affiliated with the Association so that homeowners will know that moving to an affiliate town will provide a similar living experience.
Today we launched a Twitter campaign to reach out to the 49 cities across Ontario that we have identified (based on population) as prospective first Tiny Town host cities. The Tweet simply asked whether the city would be Canada’s most progressive city dealing with #affordablehousing and #homelessness? While we expect with time all the cities we have identified will host a Tiny Town, we are in search of the monumental distinction of Canada’s #FirstTinyTown. Rather than trying to convince a city to host the first Tiny Town, we are seeking the city that realizes this one-time opportunity and wants to work with us to make it happen. We Tweeted to the city, mayor and local newspaper where available. We also included:
Working through the rest of our 133 host city list, we will continue to Twitter campaign, province by province until we find Canada’s #FirstTinyTown location.
It is my great honour and pleasure to present Canada’s first ever National Housing Strategy (NHS), an ambitious $40-billion plan to help ensure that Canadians have access to housing that meets their needs and that they can afford.
Bringing this Strategy to life has been a priority for the Government of Canada for the past 18 months. We are making historic investments in housing – and planning for transformational change – because we understand the value of home. Safe, affordable housing is a launch-pad for better socio-economic outcomes for our citizens, a more inclusive society where everyone has the opportunity to be well and to succeed, a stronger economy and a cleaner environment.
But for too many Canadian families, a decent home is simply not affordable. Across Canada, 1.7 million people are in housing need, living in homes that are inadequate or unaffordable. Another 25,000 Canadians are chronically homeless. This needs to change.
Building on investments announced in Budgets 2016 and 2017, the NHS signals a meaningful re-engagement by the federal government in housing. It is a key element of our Government’s plan to help strengthen the middle class, promote growth for everyone, and lift more Canadians out of poverty.
Important learnings emerged from last year’s Let’s Talk Housing consultations, and our Strategy is stronger for it. Now the work of implementing these ideas begins.
To be successful, the NHS requires the collaboration and commitment of more partners than ever before, in a coherent, integrated and whole-of-government approach. The provinces and territories will, of course, be primary partners in the Strategy, but we will also work more closely with municipalities, the private and non-profit sectors, and others who share our goal of creating a new generation of housing in Canada.
We have set clear goals for the NHS, including removing 530,000 Canadian families from housing need and reducing chronic homelessness by half over the next decade. We will track and report on our success, and adapt our approach as needed as the Strategy unfolds. Our primary focus will be on meeting the needs of vulnerable populations, such as women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, those dealing with mental health and addiction issues, veterans and young adults.
The release of the NHS marks the beginning of a new era for housing in Canada. We have a Strategy that all Canadians can be proud of and support. I encourage you to become part of this nation-wide effort to ensure that all Canadians have the safe and affordable housing they need and deserve.
The Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos
taken from the National Housing Strategy https://www.placetocallhome.ca
The question is not really if you or I want to live in a tiny home, but rather should tiny homes be a housing option available to anyone that wants to live in them? #affordablehousing
We’re now feeding #Twitter and #Facebook directly from our website Blog and have included Twitter and Facebook to simplify the login process on the association website https://www.tinytownassociation.com
Let’s set some definitions for #tinyhomes specifically for Tiny Homes on Wheels.
Maximum exterior dimensions (including tongue):
This does not include any loft area as presently lofts cannot be counted as living space (something that needs to be adjusted in the building code).
This I propose is the maximum square footage of a Tiny Home on Wheels. Anything bigger would be a Small Home. Note: I consider Homes and Houses to be synonymous in this regard.
I have been talking with Habitat for Humanity Canada about a donation of a tiny home, and I was struck by a comment made by one of their Directors. He said, “I had a great discussion with our CEO and he was supportive of focusing on what we at Habitat can learn from the Tiny Town concept and movement.”
I had not thought of the Tiny Town concept as a movement before this, but when I thought about it, I realized that this is exactly what it is. The online dictionary defines a Movement in this way “a group of people working together to advance their shared political, social, or artistic ideas”.
This is our shared idea: to make a network of Tiny Towns that will allow homeowners to legally live in their tiny homes, in the location of their choice, just as they can in any other type of housing. These Tiny Towns will use the latest innovations so that they will be as environmentally friendly as possible and will result in a truly affordable housing option for singles, couples and young families.
So join the movement by joining the association, signing our petition and sharing our website. Like us and follow us on your social platforms. Tell people that you know that are interested in tiny homes to do the same. For tiny homes to become more than just a passing fad, they will need a place to exist. With your support, the Tiny Town Association can make that happen.
Oddly enough, sometimes posting what is happening is the most difficult to do, simply because so much is happening. I always chuckle to myself when someone asks me what is new, I think you really don’t what to know because it could take hours to bring you up to speed. Anyway, here goes:
