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Imagine that every billionaire in the United States wrote a single check for one billion dollars, all earmarked to build small, dignified homes for people sleeping on streets, in shelters, or in cars. As of 2025, the U.S. has roughly 902 billionaires, so that “one-billion-each” pledge would create a housing fund of about $902 billion.
What would that buy? Tiny homes in the U.S. typically cost somewhere between $30,000 and $60,000 to build, with many estimates clustering around $45,000–$50,000 for a modest but solid unit (not counting extreme luxury builds) If we assume $50,000 per mini home, $902 billion could build about 18 million homes. Even at the high end of $60,000 per unit, that’s still roughly 15 million units enough to give every currently homeless person a permanent place to live and still have millions of homes left over for people on the brink of homelessness.
The challenge, then, is not just how many homes, but how to build them well. The smartest strategy would be to treat this as a national public-interest project, not a scattered charity effort. A national housing trust could pool the $902 billion and partner with states, cities, and tribes to identify land close to transit, jobs, and services avoiding the trap of exiling poor people to remote, hopeless locations. Zoning reforms and fast-track approvals would be key, so that good intentions don’t die in a tangle of local politics.
On the construction side, the money would go farthest with modular, factory-built units assembled on site. Bulk purchasing of materials, standardized designs, and regional factories could cut costs and speed up timelines while enforcing basic quality: insulation, efficient heating and cooling, durable finishes. Part of the fund could be set aside to train and employ people experiencing homelessness in the building process, turning the program into a jobs pipeline as well as a housing solution.
Finally, a portion of the billionaire fund would need to support services and stewardship: mental-health care, addiction treatment, job placement, and ongoing maintenance. Housing ends the chaos of the street; services help people rebuild their lives. In that sense, the billionaires wouldn’t just be buying millions of tiny homes. They’d be buying millions of chances for people to start over with a front door that locks, a hot shower, and a mailbox that finally has their name on it. JG
