Grassroots Initiative “Tiny House Israel” Seeks to Lower Housing Costs in Israel

Everyone in Israel remembers the great “cottage cheese revolution” of June 2011—a funny name, but a serious issue. Even with the price of cottage cheese lowered, the cost of living is still one of the biggest challenges of life in Israel. Wages are low and prices are high, especially considering housing costs.

Thousands of Israelis are trapped in a cycle of expenses. Students, newly married couples, and the elderly are too often living in housing situations that are beyond their means, and often subpar. Every month, almost all of their paychecks go towards rent for houses that are often in poor condition.

Tiny House Israel, a grassroots initiative based in Jerusalem, has a solution. They have recently launched a crowd-funding campaign on Causematch.com. The ask? Help build one prototype “tiny house” in Israel and revolutionize the housing industry. The “tiny house” is trending around the world, following the successful impact on the housing shortage in the UK.

Tiny House Israel is looking to raise $30,000 to build a prototype tiny house on wheels in Israel, proming it to be “eco-friendly and self-sustaining, allowing it to be towed across the country and parked elsewhere”.

The wheels are central to the idea, as transporting the home promises to “bypass one of the biggest challenges in the housing crisis—bureaucracy. By virtue of it being on wheels, it can be easily moved from place to place and parked in areas not zoned for residential building. Any plot of land can become a potential spot for a tiny house community – and we’ve identified landowners throughout the country who are happy make this dream a reality”.

But Tiny House Israel does not just seek to raise money. They want to create a revolution. To do so, they hope to educate individuals about the opportunities of “tiny houses” and encourage the Israeli government to aid in making it a reality.

The blueprints have been drawn (see below), volunteers have offered their time and skills in order to build a prototype house, and the land has been secured.

As we sit in our homes across the world and across Israel, likely with our fridges filled with cottage, it’s time to make an even bigger difference. It’s time to solve the housing crisis.