These are tiny homes that are built in a shop and just dropped onto the little concrete pad once they're done. A small crew was able to build them out over time, so I can't say which option exactly is cheaper. One advantage was they were able to move people in as they were built too.

Edit to add a word

Even lower income people want a places they can call their own. Even lower income people prefer not to deal with other people’s noise or stomping or flooded sink. Even lower income people don’t want to deal with a building manager for repairs. Even lower income people want to be able to make choices in their living accommodations.

Plus these are probably all factory built and I see a simple gravel foundation. Cheap and fast to set up, but it’s still a house. Probably much cheaper than full scale houses

probably zoning laws. that's a HUGE part of why we don't just build more apartments in many places. it's why people get so passionate about the "white flight" as it's known and nimbyism. everyone wants to fix homelessness, but in any of the places that one could effectively build community housing it is illegal to make anything that provides housing to more than 1 or 2 families. the people that live there want homelessness to go away, but when it's proposed to build low income housing nearby they freak out and say "poor people and drug addicts? they do crime. low income housing is cool, but not in my backyard".

being poor in america has such a stigma that homeowners consistently vote to ban them from living nearby by banning apartments. to be perfectly honest, I'm just waiting for zoning laws to try and make these tiny homes illegal now that people are building them for the poor.

What !? Sharing a wall with someone else because it's more efficient in terms construction and maintenance costs?! Get outta here you commi!