I'm going to start off by stating that this is a personal piece influenced by my experience and observations. I also share my story with you not to gain any sympathy, but as a microcosm of what so many in our society go through. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts. I'm open to respectful discussion.
I am a proponent of tiny living and minimalism. We humans have too large a footprint on this earth. We, especially people here in the United States, own too much stuff we don't even need or enjoy and many of us live in houses so large we don't use every room. I also argue that living a smaller, more minimalist lifestyle can help those in poverty live a little better, stretch those dollars a little further. It's certainly helped me. But, I say that with a caveat because the privilege of wealth affords the comforts that make tiny living a sustainable solution. It also makes it a choice.
I was forced to downsize. A fruitless job search and struggling to pay higher rent in a three bedroom house landed me in a tiny one bedroom apartment with my son right before the Covid lockdown. He has the bedroom and I basically live in an efficiency with a daybed in the living room. The kitchen is about 4 steps away from my bed. The location is awesome. I love my neighbors, but this is not a sustainable solution for long term. The landlord was forgiving of my eviction from the suburbs, something most landlords won't touch. I am very fortunate for that. Eviction can end up in homelessness for that very reason. But, like so many more that are able to find a place to live after an eviction, I am in substandard housing.
Like many old urban buildings, this place is roach infested. The poor who live in buildings like this either have to put up with it or constantly expose their bodies to dangerous pesticides to keep them at bay. These old buildings are also fire traps and many are not up to fire code and lack working fire alarms. Or, if you do have a working alarm, you are woke up in the middle of the night because it has been set off by roaches crawling inside. I know this from experience. It's quite, uhm...alarming. We had a rat problem for a while that thankfully seems to have been abated. Because the landlord is so lax with who he rents to, there have been a couple unsavory neighbors, though the majority are young people just trying to make it on their own.
People who choose to downsize and live tiny have options. Small home new builds and remodels are designed with Ikea efficiency. They quite often have outdoor spaces that extend the usability of their tiny space. Outdoor showers, patios, gardens, a shed that doubles as office space. They are clever spaces with efficient kitchens and ample storage. Urban small spaces are no less clever in their design. Laundry can be hired out. Groceries can be bought daily or picked out of the garden or meals delivered allowing for a smaller kitchen.
You are always going to have outliers, the single male or childless young couple who choose to buck the system by living out of a totally outfitted van while they build careers and save up money. Even then, they quite likely have something or someone that they can fall back on.
The pandemic has shined a light on housing problems for the poor. Prepandemic problems of increased rents and property taxes were exacerbated as people lost jobs and fell further behind with rent and home loan payments. More people are in danger of losing their housing than ever before. More people are being forced to live in small spaces due to lack of housing affordability. There's even a whole subset of folks who are living out of old campers they bought off of Craigslist because it is the only viable option. But, then again, traditionally it's always been the poor who've lived like this. There's just more of us these days. The problem is, once you are here it is hard as hell to get back out.
My goal is to one day be a home owner. Although I love this neighborhood, it may likely not be here. Property taxes have gone up at least 60% in the last four years. Affordability is not likely. Gentrification is driving people out for a younger, wealthier crowd. The landlord is trying to sell this building and I fear that will mean a rent increase that I can't afford if the property falls into the hands of a wealthy developer. Rent payments in general are a lot higher than monthly mortgage payments, so it is nearly impossible to save up for a downpayment to buy a home if you are poor, making home ownership an impossibility even when rent is consistently paid on time. Covid was like a giant microscope, amplifying all of these issues.
When it's not a choice, tiny living is exhausting. My apartment is not designed with any efficiency. It's just a space that has been carved out of a larger space. There is no storage. We had access to a washer and dryer but it was always gross and after the Texas freeze it no longer worked. The landlord has evidently chosen not to fix it. So I bought a tiny washer with the pandemic aide and hang our clothes to dry because going to the laundromat is time consuming and costly and a Covid Petri dish and I have a preteen (smelly) son who goes through a lot of laundry. I have to store all food in the refrigerator or freezer to avoid bug contamination. The kitchen was just stuck together with no planning. The bathroom is too tiny for a tub and the shower is reminiscent of a cheap motel. I have a porch, but it overlooks the garbage that's often a mess. Overflowing garbage plus Texas heat is not a pleasant smell.
I still believe in living small, having a small footprint, though not so much living tiny. At least not for me. Living here has ruined it for me. Covid made it worse. My dream is a two bedroom home with a beautiful farmhouse kitchen with a sink by a window, a clawfoot tub in the roomy bath, windows that open in every room, built in storage, a wrap around porch with a swing, a fenced in yard for the dogs, room for a garden and for my chickens to roam. And not a single roach.
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