Is the answer to the housing crunch right in your own backyard?

When the Almeda Fire tore through the Rogue Valley in Southern Oregon back in 2020, it took thousands of homes with it . The result wasn't just a moonscape, but a housing crisis on top of an already-tight rental market. Gutted homes in the Medford Estates neighborhood in the aftermath of the Almeda fire, in Medford, Oregon, Sept. 10, 2020. ADREES LATIF/REUTERS Artist and contractor Jacob Fry, and his wife Elize, were spared the flames, but not the desire to help. They had to do something, so they took out a loan to build two small rental units in their own yard. It was never about getting income, Jacob says: "It was more about the community and needing infill housing for people that had been displaced; [that] really was the main thing." They're called ADUs, or Accessory Dwelling Units – small, fully-functional secondary homes located on the same property as a main home, usually in the backyard. They've been called granny flats, carriage houses, or mother-in-law suites. A wave of reforms has made it faster, cheaper, and (in theory) legally simpler to add these ADUs almost anywhere. Jacob and Elize Fry built two ADUs in their backyard, which they've rented out to young families just starting out. CBS News In California, at least three modest-sized units are now allowed on a single-family lot. They can't be used as short-term rentals (so, no Airbnbs). The law allows for only long-term tenants – and it's become a booming industry. …