Growing Homelessness Problems Spur Interest in Tiny Houses

During this past winter, which was the coldest here since 1985 and unusually wet, Kirei Mei Johnson slept most nights in a tent in city parks. “You’re shivering and freezing and you can’t warm up,” Ms. Johnson said. “There’s no insulation in tents.” In early April, the 24-year-old moved into a house for the first time in years. It measures 8 feet by 12 feet and sits on cinder blocks near 24 other brand-new tiny houses on a vacant lot off a busy street in northern Seattle.