One young man decided to take matters into his own hands – literally.

A home is not defined by its measurements but by those who inhabit it. A 60-year-old woman has been living on the streets for over ten years.

The grandmother, who is nicknamed Smokey, has been homeless ever since her husband died. She’s been on the streets of South Los Angeles with only bags of her belongings and a shopping cart.

That is until Elvis Summers entered the picture.

How One Man Helped a Homeless Grandmother

woman sitting on the ground near the stairs
Photo by MART PRODUCTION

Elvis lives in an apartment near where Smokey would sleep. He decided he wanted to help the older woman, so he got to building.

“She’s a human being. She’s 60 years old, a mother, grandmother, sleeping in the dirt. It’s just not right,” Elvis told KCAL 9 News.

With $500 worth of materials, Elvis started to build Smokey a tiny home.

The siding and roofing were donated by a local company. With all the materials settled, it took Elvis only five days to build the tiny home, which stands at three and a half by eight feet.

Though it is smaller than most conventional houses, it’s equipped with additional safety measures. There are two locks on the door, a window, and wheels. As long as Smokey moves the house to a new spot every 72 hours, the LAPD has approved the house on wheels.

How One Man Proved Even Small Things Can Be a Big Difference

“I feel so good,” Smokey said. “I was so relaxed.”

Elvis hasn’t stopped with Smokey. After building that first hope, Elvis was inspired to keep the project going.

He started a GoFundMe called “Tiny House Huge Purpose” where the kind man is trying to raise $50,000 so he can keep building tiny houses for Los Angeles’s homeless population.

With a few materials, several tools, and his time, Elvis has helped a woman go from sleeping on the pavement to sleeping in a house.

His tiny houses not only shelter people who would otherwise have nowhere to go but also show the unhouse population that they matter.

KEEP READING:

Stranger Catches Homeless Man Sleeping On His Office Porch – Instead of Kicking Him Out, He Decides to Change His Life