Village Of Tiny Homes Made From Straw Planned To Fight Housing Crisis: Report

SOQUEL, CA — An effort is underway in Santa Cruz County to fight the housing crisis by building tiny homes out of straw bales, according to KSBW 8.

Just Places and People First are working together to create a village of LEED-certified straw bale cabins that would neighbor Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Soquel and serve very low-income residents by relying on a building method from the past, the outlet reported.

"It was developed in the 1800s by farmers who had no resource for wood, so they saw these bales and realized they're like building blocks the way kids play with Legos, etc.,” contractor Michele Landegger told KSBW 8.

“So they started stacking with bales and built really substantial homes and churches in Nebraska in the 1800s, and some of those homes are still standing and occupied.”

The team is fundraising for the project, but if it receives the necessary money, the village could be done in six months or less, according to the outlet.

Read more from KSBW 8.