Homeless set up tarps and tents in downtown Los Angeles. (Via Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles, July 20 (RHC)-- In a parking lot in Los Angeles, a village of miniature prefab houses has sprung up, one of several sites in America's second-largest city where so-called "tiny homes" are being put up to help the homeless get back on their feet.

The City of Angels has a large homeless population, second only to New York.  Tens of thousands live rough -- their tents, and their distress, are plain for any resident or visitor to see.

In the Tarzana neighborhood, 76 tiny homes paid for by the city have been erected. Each is 64 square feet (six square meters), and is equipped with two beds and shelving as well as air conditioning and heating. 

Each one costs $6,500 and can be set up in just 90 minutes.  Toilets and showers are shared, and state-of-the-art washing machines face large, bright orange tables under umbrellas.  The set-up, residents say, feels a bit like a campground.