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An Australian charity is offering tiny houses for the price of an upmarket car

Profits from the sale of the houses will go to fund the children's Kids Under Cover.

Profits from the sale of the houses will go to fund the children's Kids Under Cover. Photo: ABC

Would you buy a trendy micro home with a starting price tag of $120,000?

The tiny house movement has inspired lifestyle shows and social media groups by spruiking the benefits of simple living in affordable yet modestly-sized homes.

Now an Australian charity is jumping on the bandwagon to make a buck – but for a good cause.

Kids under Cover has set up its own business, called Nestd, selling a trendy micro home with a starting price tag of $120,000.

Nestd is headed by general manager Kieran Callan.

“[It] fits on a footprint of 30 square metres, two storeys,” Mr Callan said.

“This unit comes with toilet, shower, bathroom, bedroom upstairs, a very nice deck.”

You’d need to find about an extra $50,000 for transport, assembly and connecting utilities, he said.

Bedroom of a tiny house

The company said the homes would also suit older people who want to downsize. Photo: ABC

Tiny houses aren’t something new for Kids under Cover.

It’s been installing one- and two-bedroom self-contained studios in gardens for 30 years to tackle youth homelessness by keeping young people living with family or carers.

A cheaper tiny house option is also available – similar to the studios – starting at an even more affordable $35,000.

“We’re looking to sell these homes into the market for anybody to purchase,” Jo Swift, the CEO of Kids under Cover, said.

“All the surplus funds generated from the sale will go directly to delivering our core programs.”

The one crucial thing these tiny properties are missing is land.

But if you’re up for living in your parent’s backyard – and they agree to it – maybe a tiny home could be your new home?

“My adult children say to me well how will I ever afford a deposit,” Mr Callan said.

“The reality is a product like this, to be on the ground for $170,000 actually becomes very affordable.”

He said downsizing would also suit older people looking to live close to relatives.

Balcony of a tiny house in Melbourne

Living in your parent’s backyard could make the home even more affordable. Photo: ABC

Demand for the charity’s services is growing every year, according to Ms Swift.

“Sadly there’s been a terrible increase in the last few years,” she said.

“That’s just been verified with the most recent census data – in the previous five years there’s been an increase in youth homelessness by 14 per cent.”

She said the charity installed about 70 relocatable studios every year and already had a waiting list for next financial year.

The charity’s tiny house is on display at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show until the end of the week.

It stands alongside cubby houses entered in the charity’s annual design competition.

The architecturally designed play structures are auctioned off to raise money for the organisation’s studios and education and training scholarships.

-ABC

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