BOISE, Idaho — Affordable housing is hard to come by in Boise right now, but a new program is making tiny homes on wheels a legal option for residents seeking unique and affordable housing arrangements.
The Boise City Council recently voted to allow tiny homes on wheels, giving homeowners the ability to host up to two on their property.
"It took me about a year to design this house," said Minta Ray, who built her dream tiny home on wheels from scratch. "Literally by hand with graph paper."
Ray's 26-foot house sits on six wheels, with her main floor measuring about 218 square feet. Two lofts bring the total living space closer to 300 square feet.
She designed her dream house around a full-size kitchen, plus it features a full bathroom, a queen-sized bed, and everything she needs for daily life.
"I think the hardest part is just finding a place to legally park it," Ray said.
Ray was one of six participants in a Boise pilot program with LEAP Housing, allowing her to temporarily live in her tiny home on a property, which until recently was actually illegal in the city.
"The city has been exploring the possibility of legalizing tiny homes on wheels for some time. This is an idea that came out of deep community engagement," said Nicki Hellenkamp, Director of Housing and Homelessness Policy with the City of Boise.
"This is something relatively small that the city can look at its rules and say, are these rules really necessary?" Hellenkamp said.
Now, property owners like Maryssa Venable can rent out yard space to tiny home on wheels owners or buy their own.
"I kind of just had this big space back here and had nothing to do with it," Venable said.
All she had to do was provide a safe place to park and access to utilities before Ray could move in.
"I'm glad I did it," Venable said. "We're friends, she's great, I love her. She takes care of my cat, I take care of her cat."
Ray and others in similar living situations will now have a place to call home in Boise, offering a tighter neighborhood connection compared to alternative options.
"I really didn't want to live in an RV park. I want to be a neighbor and I want to have a neighborhood," Ray said. "The place that I sleep is 200 square feet, but my actual community has to be a lot bigger because of this."
After the city council's vote takes effect, more tiny homes on wheels may begin appearing throughout Boise neighborhoods.
The new rules will be read three times at the city council before the changes take effect.
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