Chicago Mayor looks to tiny homes to solve homelessness

CHICAGO (AP) - To solve Chicago's affordable housing crisis, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is calling on developers to think small.

The mayor is asking housing developers for more information on whether tiny houses can solve the city's growing homelessness problem. He says the tiny homes could have a huge impact on creating affordable and permanent housing for Chicago's "most vulnerable" residents.

The micro-sized affordable housing solution has become a growing trend in big cities including Los Angeles, Seattle and Detroit. Tiny homes are stand-alone structures with sleeping spaces, kitchens and bathrooms.

Emanuel says the initiative should not cost more than $2 million. It will be funded through fees on developers and on house sharing companies like Airbnb.