The idea in its preliminary stages, but NOLA.com reports Haiyan Khan, the co-owner of Swan River Yoga's Arabi studio, is hoping to build a village of tiny homes to serve the city’s homeless population.
He’s already gotten to work building tiny mobile homes for homeless New Orleanians; he’s built three homes already, and is working on another one—a house on a 6-foot by 10-foot rolling foundation built with $1,800 in materials and volunteer labor.
Khan is calling the village Santosha, a Sanskrit word describing "a feeling of being complete." Contrasting with a typical homeless shelter, the 20 tiny homes would offer privacy and allow residents to stay up to a year. Bathrooms and cooking facilities would be shared. On his website, Khan points to a similar community in Eugene, Oregon.
However, Khan does not have a nonprofit or land to develop at this point, and mobile homes aren’t allowed under New Orleans’ current zoning and planning regulations (because hurricanes). But both the City Planning Commission and Mayor’s office are interested to hear Khan’s proposal, according to the article.