I know you told me you lived down the street, but I mean where exactly do you sleep?

Thats the question Elvis Summers asked his new friend Smokie. Summers and Irene Smokie McGhee had struck up a casual friendship as McGhee, 60, stopped by his apartment most mornings to collect recyclables and chat.

I figured she at the very least had a cardboard box, a tarp, or something, but she had none of that, Summers, 37 tells PEOPLE. She was like, Well, I dont have anything I just sleep next to the building.

I asked,Is there an awning or anything? he continues. She was like, Theres a chair.
That got me. I just jumped in the car and went to Home Depot. I was like, Screw it. I mean I skipped on buying a little bit of food - a lot of bit of food - skipped on a couple of bills and just made it happen.

The Seattle native then spent about five days and $500 dollars building a 3,5 by 8-foot mobile house to give Smokie a safe space to sleep.
I felt so good, Smokie told CBS Los Angeles of her first time in her new home. I was so relaxed. I think I must've slept half of the day.

News of Summers good deed, along with a time-lapse video he made of the construction, have gained global attention.

There are people emailing me all over the world saying they want to help, says Summers. I probably have one of the most vivid and large imaginations of anybody and yet I couldnt foresee this blowing up so fast and so far.

Summers started a GoFundMe page to build tiny houses for homeless women, men, children, U.S. veterans and families who are homeless. As of Thursday night, the page has raised more than $19,000.

In addition to raising funds to build more houses, Summers hopes that this story will inspire others to reevaluate the assumptions they make about the homeless.

Since [Smokie] looks weathered and her teeth are pretty much gone, Summers says people assume shes an addict. And its absolutely not true.

The do-gooder says he didnt know how Smokie became homeless until she was asked about it on a newscast.

I still am choking up over it, he tells PEOPLE. She was married for a long time and had a house and her husband died. And she lost her husband and then she lost her house and thats how she ended up on the street.

Now that she has a roof over her head, Smokie told ABC shed like to start looking for a job.

Meanwhile, Summers has taken on a new job of his own: working with the LAPD to find a government-owned lot where more tiny houses could be built for the citys homeless.