this post was submitted on 20 Mar 2025

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Tech millionaire builds 99-unit tiny house neighborhood for homeless Canadians - rent is kept at 30% of income, the large majority of residents pay a maximum of $200 — including all utilities (www.goodgoodgood.co)

submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

This is good, but if we address this at a systemic level, we don't need to put people in tiny low-density homes unconnected to anything for it to be affordable.

China addresses it by looking at how much labor and materials is required and ensuring the price of concrete, steel, glass, etc is sufficiently low for the number of homes they need constructed, and that there is enough of each type of skilled labor that goes into building a home.

Presumably local governments have some mechanism for when they know a house costs X materials and Y labor, and they see new construction costing significantly more than that.

The result is detached homes@avg 75USD/sqft and apartments@55/sqft. With current interest rates of 6.768%, you'd get ~400 sqft homes with a $200/mo 30 year mortgage at those prices, 600sqft if interest rates were 3%.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

Remember, theres a gigantic difference between the wealth of a billionaire and the wealth of a millionaire. For one thing, its possible to make a million without harming others, a BILLION though, you HAVE to sacrifice others to achieve.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 13 hours ago

The difference between a million dollars and a billion dollars is about a billion dollars

[–] [email protected] 12 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

While the guy happened to manage to acquire almost $400 million by selling his company, it seems that he's really trying to do some good with that, quite frankly, ridiculous amount of money.

Also it seems that his employees were compensated somewhat above market rate while he owned the company.

Not exactly a dragon of his own making, we shall observe his career with great interest to see if he follows what seems to be his chosen path, as of now.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 16 hours ago

Some rocker tried to do that in LA and they arrested him and kicked out all the homeless.

[–] [email protected] 107 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

“The word ‘philanthropy’ is often interpreted as someone who gives money,” he told the alumni magazine.

“But the Greek roots of the word ‘philos’ and ‘anthropos’ mean to love humans. What I have discovered is spending money is the easy thing, spending yourself is the hard thing. The 12 Neighbours project is how I can best spend myself.”yl

I'm not crying, you're crying... Sniff

[–] [email protected] 52 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

I also liked this:

“We have people who have been run over by trauma, by substance abuse, by all of these things,” LeBrun told Macleans. “It’s about excavating that person, buried under their circumstances, little by little.”

Seems like a decent dude.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 hours ago

I like this part as well:

“I won the parent lottery, the education lottery, the country lottery,” LeBrun told Macleans. “It would be arrogant to say every piece of my ‘success’ was earned, when so much of it was received.”

[–] [email protected] 27 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Eat this guy last

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 hours ago

He can sit on my side of the table if he keeps this up

[–] [email protected] 70 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Elon Musk would never lol. He could do so much good with his money but he just chooses not to. Has he built a library? A park? A school? Literally anything?

[–] [email protected] 50 points 20 hours ago (4 children)

Didn't you know empathy is a sin and weakness.....

Can't believe he said that shit.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 20 hours ago

Something something he could've ended world hunger, but chose not to.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 16 hours ago

He's a billionaire. Id be surprised if he said otherwise.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 19 hours ago

He twisted and parroted the words of someone else. Fucker's absolutely incapable of original thought or actual creation

[–] [email protected] 7 points 19 hours ago

If he said that, he needs to be ground into a fine paste, eaten, and then shit out because that's some garbage-tier humaning.

[–] [email protected] 49 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Very smart to put solar panels on each unit. I hope the residents will be allowed to plant some flowers, bushes, and trees to brighten up the area.

[–] [email protected] 53 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

This is in my town. They are allowed and encouraged to do so. Their place is THEIR place, it fosters a sense of community and ownership of the community.

This project really kicks ass and it's making waves. I know the guy is a millionaire, but I've listened to a few interviews and his heart is at the right place. He genuinely cares and is being pragmatic about it.

I wish I could say the same for the billionaires of this province. Looking at you, Irving shitbags.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

It's actually not as crazy being a tech millionaire nowadays since so many people build a great service and then just have it bought up by the competition.

It said right in the article Salesforce bought his product in 2011 and thats what made him a millionaire. Pretty good way to use that life changing money for the better of others and not just himself.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

A million dollars ain't what it used to be. Won't even buy a house in many cities anymore.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 16 hours ago

A million will get you a home in just about any city. Whether it's a really nice one or not is the question.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 16 hours ago

Impressive, it's even a walkable place seen that it is a mixed use neighborhood with commercial buildings too

[–] [email protected] 106 points 1 day ago (6 children)

This is fine, but millionaires won't save us

[–] [email protected] 109 points 1 day ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (1 children)

This could be pointed to as a successful test case to get the gov off it's ass and implement this at a macro level.

You are correct millionaires will not save us, however we should reward behavior we want to see. Lest we get more billionaires who are a net drag on society.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 14 hours ago

How though. Anti taxers would point out that it should be an 8 story concrete apartment building for maximum return of government investment, but no increase in taxes, any concerned official is left fighting politically for leftover funds to slowly build up in an account to initiate the project, and then they loose an election and the next guy uses it on fancy jewlery for his mistress.

Even just getting one building off the ground and they’ll be eviscerated for not using economies of scale. Building ten at the same time and a slight cost overrun which always happens is multiplied by ten.

Sorry for my pessimistic rant.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 20 hours ago

Sure, but let's pretend this one hasn't done significantly more than others.

[–] [email protected] 54 points 1 day ago

He did actually save those homeless people.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 22 hours ago

Absolutely, but it is food seeing some people who actually use their money for something good.