Auburn Gresham could be the site of Chicago’s first permanent tiny homes. According to DNAinfo, Catholic Charities is exploring the idea of developing seven homes on a property near 79th Street and Emerald Avenue dedicated to housing homeless veterans.

The lot on which the Catholic Charities Housing Services is proposing to add the tiny homes is already owned by the organization and has 141 studio apartments for formerly homeless veterans as a part of St. Leo’s campus.

The plan mirrors efforts being completed on the West Coast in places like Portland, Oregon. and Berkeley, California.

The tiny homes would be one-bedroom, townhome-style residences with 160 square feet of space. The homes can be completed in about two weeks, according to the Chicago Tribune.

According to Eileen Higgins, a vice president for the organization, building tiny houses in most cases is less expensive than renovating an already existing home. During this time, the organization is looking into zoning restrictions at the site.

Alderman Walter Burnett (27th) supports bringing the tiny homes to his West Side neighborhood. While still in the early planning stages, the proposal seems to be moving forward. The City Council’s Housing & Real Estate and Human Relations committee endorsed the concept and the full council will consider the plan Oct. 11.

This initial plan could snowball into something bigger. Anthony Simpkins of the city planning department said the city is in early stages of determining how and if they could use tiny homes to increase affordable housing throughout the entire city and get the estimated 5,889 men, women, and children off the streets who are currently without a place to live.