Irene “Smokie” McGee has been roaming the streets of her local South Los Angeles neighborhood, sleeping on the dirt, and without any form of protection.
McGee, a sixty-year-old grandmother, lost her home after her husband passed away, and has been living on the streets for over ten years.
But all of it changed when McGee found herself unexpectedly at the receiving end of a random act of kindness.
Her home state of California accounts for 12% of the U.S. population but makes up a quarter of its homeless population. The current median price of a house in California costs around $600,000 – two times more expensive than the national average.
The most expensive residential markets are Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Orange County, San Diego, and Los Angeles (seventh in the rank), which makes it hard for McGee to find a place to stay.
So pushing an old grocery cart filled with recyclables that she asked from her neighbors, McGee has no choice but to sleep on the dirt.
It was during this time that McGee met Elvis Summers, and as they got to know more about each other, Summers realized that McGee has been spending the nights out in the cold, with no roof above her head, and no walls to keep her warm.
He knew had to do something, no matter how small.
“She’s a human being, sixty years old, mother, grandmother, sleeping in the dirt. It’s just not right.”
Summers, a self-described struggling musician and who was also homeless in his twenties, decided that no effort is too small if his intention is to give back to the community.
With $500, donated materials, and a generous heart, Elvis built McGee a 3×8 foot home in five days. And as long as McGee moves her tiny home every 72 hours, the city allowed her to live in her new home.
She even placed a Home Sweet Home sign on the entrance, showing that her life was changed after that moment.
The home has two windows, a door with two locks for safety, and a set of wheels that can help McGee move her house.
McGee was beyond thankful.
“I feel so good. I was so relaxed. I think I will sleep happy today.”
McGee passed away last 2016, but her impact on Summers and the community persisted.
McGee would be the first of many recipients of the tiny house. Through the help of donations and volunteers, dozens of these compact portable houses will be built. They came with a solar-powered battery for a lightbulb, a smoke detector, and a phone charger that would hopefully help the homeless when they look for jobs that will take them off the streets.
“If people want a beautiful positive community, you have to build one. You can’t just sweep stuff under the rug and pretend that they don’t exist.”
McGee may be long gone, but she and Summers proved that no action is too small if your heart is in the right place and if you have a community that is willing to help bring change.
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