Benefits
- Cities can increase density without major infrastructure changes.
- Tiny home Pocket Developments can easily be reversed by returning the property to its original state before redevelopment.
- Pocket developments can be managed through permits and bylaw enforcement.
- The benefits of gentle density allow for multi-units to fit into existing neighbourhoods.
- Pocket developments could provide some tax relief or other incentives to property owners that provide their land for city-managed tiny home use.
Top 5 Reasons People Love
Pocket Neighbourhoods
Sense Of Community
Pocket neighbourhoods offer a close-knit community atmosphere, and it’s one of the main reasons people choose them. Today’s fast-paced, busy way of life can often leave people feeling secluded and disconnected from those around them. Pocket neighbourhoods take residents back to times when people truly connected with their neighbours and supported each other.
This sense of community and neighbourly living provides a sense of belonging that has a positive impact on mental health and emotional well-being. For residents of all ages — from seniors aging in place to young families raising children — community support makes life less stressful and more enjoyable.
Shared Amenities
Pocket neighbourhoods have common spaces that also come with shared amenities for residents. Amenities can include shared buildings, storage sheds, pools, gardens, picnic areas, playgrounds, and more. Shared buildings often serve as a communal gathering space for events like potluck dinners, movie nights, game nights, exercise groups and more.
Pocket neighbourhood residents share the responsibility of maintaining common outdoor spaces like gardens, parks, and open green areas. Neighbours also often share larger and more expensive items like grills, lawnmowers, and snow blowers. Some pocket neighbourhoods even have shared fruit and vegetable gardens where neighbours work together to grow their own food.
Lower Living Costs
As any homeowner knows, house-related living expenses (like utility bills and landscaping) can really add up. Smaller homes shared amenities, walkability, and efficient features all combine to create a lower-cost environment for residents of pocket neighbourhoods.
Environmentally Friendly Elements
Business & Workforce Application
Homeless
Open-space shelters often cannot accommodate some people and thus they choose a tent outside. These people are not refusing shelter, the shelter system cannot be all things to all people in the set-up they have. Couples, people with kids or pets are often not able to seek emergency shelter. Not all homeless are able to live on their own or pay rent, but a solution of tiny homes could allow for a new way to transition people from the street to a home.
A Tiny Canin Community (sleeping pods with shared facility) or a pocket community like what is seen with 12 Neighbours is a great solution.
Students
1 in 5 shelter users in Canada are youth. More than a third of young people who experience homelessness in Canada are from Ontario.
20% of the Canadian homeless population are youth between 13 and 24.
40% of homeless youth in Canada will have first experienced homelessness before the age of 16.
Disabled
Indigenous population
Urban Indigenous Peoples experience homelessness at a disproportionate rate and make up a significant percentage of people experiencing homelessness in cities. Research shows that Indigenous homelessness in major urban areas ranges from 20-50% of the total homeless population, while others have reported that the range may be much wider, at 11-96%. Put another way, in some Canadian cities such as Yellowknife or Whitehorse Indigenous Peoples make up 90 percent of the homeless population. Places like Thunder Bay and Winnipeg fair somewhat better; an average of 50 percent of those experiencing homelessness are Indigenous. In Toronto, Canada’s largest urban centre, Indigenous Peoples constitute around 15% of those experiencing homelessness in the city, even though they make up only around 0.5 of the total population. In fact, one study found that 1 in 15 Indigenous Peoples in urban centres experience homelessness compared to 1 in 128 for the general population. This means that Urban Indigenous Peoples are 8 times more likely to experience homelessness.
Sector Market Workers
Rents continue to be unaffordable by low to mid income earners. With the cost of a bachelor apartment across Canada averaging $1,576/month, workers would need to earn $57,300/year or $28.65/hr.
Canadian minimum wage is currently $17.30/hr. leaving a 65% gap in affordability.
Minimum Wage
Living Wage
Gig Workers
Poverty has been consistently linked with poorer health, higher healthcare costs, greater demands on social and community services, more stress on family members, and diminished school success – not to mention huge costs associated with reduced productivity and foregone economic activity.
Seniors
Immigrants
Veterans
Veterans in Canada are disproportionately represented among people experiencing homelessness, and are two to three times more likely to be homeless than the general population.
Number of homeless veterans
- In 2023, about 1.2% of shelter users in Canada were veterans
- In 2021, about 1.4% of shelter users in Canada were veterans
- The exact number of homeless veterans in Canada varies from 2,400 to over 10,000
StartUp Villages
Startup villages have long been seen as hotbeds for new ideas and company launches. StartUp Villages could be the one-stop incubator/accelerator services company that enables startups to bring their unique ideas and business concept to reality while living in an affordable, community-centric village.
There are numerous examples of villages around the globe.
Poverty has been consistently linked with poorer health, higher healthcare costs, greater demands on social and community services, more stress on family members, and diminished school success – not to mention huge costs associated with reduced productivity and foregone economic activity.
Rents continue to be unaffordable by low to mid income earners. With the cost of a bachelor apartment across Canada averaging $1,576/month, workers would need to earn $57,300/year or $28.65/hr.
Canadian minimum wage is currently $17.30/hr. leaving a 65% gap in affordability.
1 in 5 shelter users in Canada are youth. More than a third of young people who experience homelessness in Canada are from Ontario.
20% of the Canadian homeless population are youth between 13 and 24.
40% of homeless youth in Canada will have first experienced homelessness before the age of 16.
Approximately 25% of persons reporting a disability are low-income, “earning less than one-half of the median Canadian income” (Wall, 2017). Employment and income for persons with disabilities are dependent upon the type of disability. Individuals with mental-cognitive disabilities have lower incomes than those with fine motor and dexterity disabilities.
Open-space shelters often cannot accommodate some people and thus they choose a tent outside. These people are not refusing shelter, the shelter system cannot be all things to all people in the set-up they have. Couples, people with kids or pets are often not able to seek emergency shelter. Not all homeless are able to live on their own or pay rent, but a solution of tiny homes could allow for a new way to transition people from the street to a home.
A Tiny Cabin Community (sleeping pods with shared facility) or a pocket community like what is seen with 12 Neighbours is a great solution.
Startup Villages have long been seen as hotbeds for new ideas and company launches. StartUp Villages could be the one-stop incubator/accelerator services company that enables startups to bring their unique ideas and business concept to reality while living in an affordable, community-centric village.
There are numerous examples of villages around the globe.
Securing reliable employment and having access to adequate and affordable housing are critical first steps in the immigration settlement process. Newcomers, including immigrants and refugees, often face increasing barriers to affordable housing. This puts many newcomers at risk of homelessness because of various factors, including poverty, discrimination, racism, cuts to social programs, unrecognized foreign employment and educational credentials, delays in work permits and/or health-related issues. As a result, more immigrants and refugees are requiring shelter, drop-in and housing assistance in addition to settlement services.
Veterans in Canada are disproportionately represented among people experiencing homelessness, and are two to three times more likely to be homeless than the general population.
Number of homeless veterans
- In 2023, about 1.2% of shelter users in Canada were veterans
- In 2021, about 1.4% of shelter users in Canada were veterans
- The exact number of homeless veterans in Canada varies from 2,400 to over 10,000
As it stands, senior citizens account for at least 8.3% of Canada’s homeless shelter population. That number does not include the hidden homeless or those sleeping rough. It should be noted the number is trending upward as we speak. In 2017, approximately 62% of Canadian seniors admitted to having difficulty keeping their bills up to date.
10 major segments of our communities that cannot find obtainable housing.
Each one carries with it various degrees of financial, healthcare, and mental health burdens on society as a whole, well beyond what just the individual experiences.
We need a housing solution that is accessible, affordable, dignified and built around community. That means smaller footprints and designs that inspire community living. Apartments do not do this.
This is not just solving a problem for the less fortunate, but a massive opportunity to give people back their lives and allow them to contribute more to their own health and their community.