CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The CEO of Chicago-based Inherent Homes spent the weekend living out of a micro home in West Loop with his 8-year-old daughter, in an attempt to prove the viability of what he thinks could be a solution to the city’s temporary housing crisis.
The micro home prototype was constructed by local labor at the North Lawndale headquarters of Inherent Homes, and on Friday, CEO Tim Swanson’s team brought the home to the parking lot next to the Chicago Children’s Theater at 100 S. Racine Ave.
Inherent Homes sells its 80-square-feet micro homes for less than $20,000 each. The space includes: a steel security door; a lofted, full bed; an area for a second bed, crib or desk; solar power and battery storage; a fresh air system; a toilet; and, crucially, a heating system.
“Inherent MicroHomes are a legitimate alternative to tents on sidewalks, [and] a more dignified solution to housing the unhoused,” wrote Inherent officials in a press release.
On top of that, the company said the homes are ready to be built right now at its North Lawndale facility.
“Each MicroHome is warm when it’s cold, cool when it’s warm, dry when it’s wet and always safe — bringing the best of what we, as a people, have to offer to as many people as we can support,” Swanson said.
Earlier in 2023, the company said it acquired enough parcels around the city to place 30 modular homes and two-flats. So far, it has delivered three houses.
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