Tiny portable houses are being built all across the U.S.

These tiny structures were originally used for downsizing or environmental purposes, but now homeless activists are taking advantage of the security it could provide to someone living on the streets.

Typically built with a bed, kitchen, and toilet, similar replicas have served well for poverty-stricken individuals in states including Wisconsin, Oregon, California, Florida, New York, and Texas.

Occupy Madison Build (OM Build) of Wisconsin built its first 98-square-foot structure for $5,000 last month without government assistance. Now, one homeless man is helping to build his mini home.

“You’re out of the elements, you’ve got your own bed, you’ve got your own place to call your own,” Harold “Hap” Morgan said. “It gives you a little bit of self-pride: This is my own house.”

Plumbing and electricity are unavailable. However, the houses are well insulated and have propane heaters.

One California carpenter told NBC News that his tiny homes, which he refers to as micro-pods, has helped with issues faced by the homeless in the city of Oakland.

Oakland Artist Makes Tiny Houses For Homeless http://t.co/z6MyTtNVGKpic.twitter.com/NWnIbXdTMI

— The Bold Italic (@thebolditalic) February 26, 2014

Artist Gregory Kloehn, 43, hopes his custom designed structures will help to alleviate the number of homeless people who are jailed for breaking public safety laws.

“I was sleeping outside on the freeway for two or three years,” 39-year-old Cathryn Estelle Copeland told NBC News. “Now, I can roll my house down the street. Now the police don’t give me a hard time. I keep my house clean and I have no problems.”

Unlike OM Build, Kloehn’s quirky-like structures are built on a $100 budget. He saves money by reusing wood found out on the streets or in the local trash. His tiny houses, however, usually only come with a bed, a storage area, and insulation.

Additionally, other nonprofit organizations and ministries in the country are taking this idea just a little further.(image)

In Eugene, Oregon, homeless activists are hoping to establish small interpersonal communities filled with mini mobile homes.

Opportunity Village Eugene, Community Supported Shelters (CSS), and The Village Collaborative are just a few that plan to offer affordable and sustainable permanent housing to people living without shelter or who wish to live resourcefully.

Here is the story about Harold “Hap” Morgan of Wisconsin:

Image via Blog, Gregory Kloehn

Image via YouTube