The people behind Seattle’s Block Project, which builds backyard cabins for the homeless, say it’s more than a feelgood stunt. But can they convince others?

Would you house a homeless man in your backyard? This couple said yes

Sitting in the living room of a bungalow in Seattle, a homeless man named Robert Desjarlais was having what appeared to be an audition.

A 75-year-old indigenous Canadian and member of the Cree tribe, Desjarlais told the bungalow’s owners about his upbringing and years living on the streets. He mentioned that he had quit drinking in June and the questioning took an intimate turn.

“What year?” Dan Tenenbaum asked, as his partner Kim Sherman placed a cup of coffee next to her guest. “This year,” Desjarlais replied. “I haven’t had anything in 15 days. Not wine. Not brandy. I’m not even thirsty.”

“Oh,” said Tenenbaum. “That’s good.”

The purpose of their July meeting was to lay the groundwork for an unconventional experiment in resolving homelessness. The plan was for Desjarlais to move into a “tiny home” in the garden behind the couple’s home, with the hope that it would inspire the construction of thousands more cabins for homeless people in backyards across the country.

“It’s a private-sector solution that doesn’t require taxes or land to be purchased,” architect Rex Hohlbein said of the Block Project, which he co-founded, and is not asking for any public money. “The city is gaga over the project.”

“Gaga?” asked Seattle city councilmember Sally Bagshaw, who heads the committee overseeing homelessness. “I would never use that word.” But she said she admired how the approach brought homeless and housed people together.

Neighbors on the block will marshal their forces to help that person on the sidelines of society Rex Hohlbein, co-founder of the Block Project

Multnomah County, which includes the city of Portland, is trying something similar: it will build granny flats in the yards of homeowners who agree to host a homeless family for five years, at which point officials will transfer ownership of the tiny house to the homeowner.

In both cities, advocates say it is more than a feelgood stunt. Although Seattle is spending $61m this year to provide more shelter beds, support and permanent housing, and has proposed $63m in the 2018 budget, the homeless numbers go up each year. January’s annual count tallied more than 3,800 people living outdoors and in cars on one night and another 4,600 staying in temporary accommodations such as shelters.

It is notable that the backyard pilot is taking place in Beacon Hill, a historically affordable neighborhood where metal boxes filled with $600,000 townhouses catering to Amazon and Microsoft programmers have sprouted up. Rents are rising along with construction cranes.

In 2013, Hohlbein abandoned a career designing multimillion-dollar homes in order to devote himself to the people he saw on the street. He brainstormed the Block Project with his architect daughter Jennifer LaFreniere, and he has a sunny vision: “Neighbors on the block will marshal their forces to help that person on the sidelines of society.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Robert Desjarlais (center) was the first homeless person chosen to take part in the Block project. He will live in a 125 sq ft house built in Kim Sherman and Dan Tenenbaum’s backyard in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. Photograph: Courtesy of Rex Hohlbein

The easiest aspect of the project has been finding property owners willing to share their living space. “The first four houses have families committed to hosting them,” said LaFreniere, adding that an additional 27 families have volunteered their backyards. Thirty percent of the resident’s income, if they have any, goes to the homeowner and to the Block project, which will put that money toward future homes.

Tiny houses: salvation for the homeless or a dead end? Read more

Still, if the Beacon Hill block is any gauge, not every neighborhood resident will be as keen to befriend the homeless person next door as Hohlbein hopes. Even though there was a call for volunteers, no neighbors signed up to help build the tiny home. Several told the Guardian that they generally supported the project, but didn’t have time to get involved.

“This project is ignoring neighbors that are not on board,” argued David Preston, a recent candidate for city council. “And when it fails, Rex will be expanding the Block Project in, let’s say, Berlin. The project will be coming apart at the seams in Seattle and he’ll be in Berlin clinking champagne glasses with the mayor.”

The project’s first hosts bristle at the implication that Hohlbein hasn’t laid a solid foundation for the project. “If there is a health or mental health crisis there is support. Robert has a caseworker from Chief Seattle Club” – which helps native people who are homeless and recommended Desjarlais – “who will visit on site and connect him with services and benefits,” Sherman said.

This project is ignoring neighbors that are not on board David Preston, city council candidate

Sherman found out about the Block Project after Hohlbein gave a presentation at the engineering firm where she works, and raised it with her partner the same day. “I expected we would have a conversation about the pros and cons of having a homeless person in our backyard. But he just said, ‘Oh, yes, let’s do that.’”

When they first met Desjarlais in June at Chief Seattle Club, Desjarlais stressed that he posed no threat to the couple or their neighbors. Sherman said it hadn’t crossed her mind. When he visited the Beacon Hill home a few weeks later, he told them that after years working as a handyman, painter, and driver in a few western states, he wound up homeless in Seattle.

Ten years later he was still panhandling in front of Nordstrom’s flagship store by day, and sleeping outdoors by the waterfront, or in a shelter where his possessions sometimes disappeared.

“At night in the shelter I never take my pants off. I chain this wallet to my pants and when someone tries to steal it, I say, ‘Hello! What are you doing in my pants?’”

Listening to Desjarlais, Sherman teared up. “Think about Bobby being able to unpack his backpack for the first time in 10 years. He could take his pants off.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Homeowner Kim Sherman and Robert Desjarlais, the homeless man chosen to live in her backyard, share a hug during construction. Photograph: Courtesy of Rex Hohlbein

On the same day as the interview, construction of the 125 sq ft house began in the back yard. Hohlbein had created pre-assembled pieces and a plan that was supposed to be easy, like snapping together Ikea furniture. In reality, even the construction leads looked a bit baffled, while teams of volunteers carried in lumber, pipes and solar panels.

Work finally finished in the fall, and the result was a sleek plywood and metal cabin with kitchen, shower and bath, capable of being totally off the grid. Construction of the next two tiny homes is slated to begin next month – though all eyes are currently on Desjarlais and his hosts as the test cases for the concept.

Facing poverty, academics turn to sex work and sleeping in cars Read more

On Thursday night, the homeowners helped “their friend Bobby” move in. It did not take long because everything he owns fits in a backpack.

Desjarlais did not want a reporter present. As recounted by Sherman, the couple fussed about finishing touches – a coat hook and long white drapes for the windows that hadn’t arrived yet – while Desjarlais settled in, lining up his medications for diabetes by the kitchen sink.

“I feel like a millionaire,” Desjarlais said, as he pointed out two fluffy pillows on the bed.

It was almost 9pm and Sherman wanted to give Desjarlais his space. The couple and Desjarlais exchanged keys to each other’s houses and said goodnight.

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