How One Man's Good Deed and a Tiny House Could Transform This Homeless Woman's Life

After a Los Angeles man noticed a homeless woman named "Smokie" living on the streets and sleeping on a dirt patch in his neighborhood, he began chatting with her and allowing her to regularly go through the recycling bin outside of his apartment building.

But Elvis Summers found himself looking for more profound ways to help the 60-year-old woman.

It didn't take long for him to come up with the perfect idea: he would build her a tiny house — a structure that would shelter her from the elements and give her a place to rest her head at night, the Daily Mail reported.

After spending about $500 and devoting five days to the cause, Summers, who said he simply wanted to do something nice for Smokie, completed the small home and handed it over to the grateful woman.

A short video documents Summers' building of the house as well as Smokie's reaction when he revealed it to her.

Watch it all unfold below:

Summers told the Good News Network that the house, which is on wheels, has been well-received by authorities.

"I had nowhere to really build it, so I just built it in the street outside of my apartment," he said. "The local LAPD cops have been super cool, and have told me they support it — as long as we move it to a different spot every 72 hours."

His good deed won't be ending with Smokie, though, as Summers has launched a GoFundMe campaign aimed at providing tiny houses to other homeless people in need of shelter.

So far, his campaign has brought in more than $13,000 as of Thursday morning.

"Being homeless is NOT a crime. The true crime is how we as human being look at and treat people that are homeless," the fundraising appeal reads. "Some people don't, but MOST homeless people want help and are desperate to get off the streets. Many to most are loosing hope or have already lost it and are simply dying, homeless and hungry."

Summers and Smokie appeared on a KCAL-TV broadcast this week to discuss the project, with Smokie tearfully explaining the struggles she has faced living on the street for the past decade — and her gratitude for Summers' efforts:

Find out more about the fundraiser here.

(H/T: Daily Mail)