THE PLAN
Overview
The Tiny House Project is pleased to submit this proposal for services to support the houseless in achieving their goals for having a safe place to rest with dignity, purpose, and a solid foundation in which to begin their transition from “houseless” back to a societal human. We have partnered with several businesses and other non-profit organizations, people and groups committed to helping the houseless get on their feet, get the services they need, and bridge the inhumane gap between the gutter and permanent housing.
The Objective
Tiny house shelters are an immediate bridge between the gutter and more permanent housing and are vital to the humane treatment and survival of the human beings in our communities who have lost their place of residence. When conventional means continue to fail, and loss of life is the result, “out of the box” thinking and solutions are required in order to succeed.
Build tiny house communities, providing temporary shelters with all necessary amenities for human and societal needs (e.g. bathrooms, showers, laundry, kitchen, community center, gardens, etc.).
Provide a stable location for outreach teams and case managers to find their clients when needed to continue their services as well as connect residents with new services that require a stable location.
Create a new city employment resource, providing jobs and training for the houseless, self-purpose and engage a work force of ambassadors to relieve pressure from many understaffed city departments and personnel.
The Opportunity
To house people in temporary shelters, immediately protecting them from the elements, getting them off the streets, and placing them in a healthy environment while working towards their goals to reintegrate back into society.
Providing tiny house shelters to house the houseless bridges the gap between the gutter and permanent housing. It costs a fraction of the money currently spent to police and handle the complex issues surrounding people living on the sidewalks, protects human rights of having a place to rest, and makes the streets clean and safe for everyone.
The opportunity to provide a stable living location for houseless people, including Veterans. It allows them to be accessible to all of the outreach programs (e.g. teams, churches, and organizations) that struggle to find and make contact with their clients on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. This puts a stop to the endless cycle of starting over. It also saves millions of dollars, countless wasted hours, and repairs a great deal of a broken system.
Providing community gardens at every tiny house community not only teaches people a skill that can be applied to future employment or careers, but it also provides food for their community, gives low income people and families access to fresh produce and vegetables, which most currently don’t have access to, and relieves a great strain on the food stamp system.
The Solution
Acquire several vacant lots, with a minimum 10,000 Sq. ft. each. Preferably the lots will contain utilities (e.g. water, electricity, sewer) already connected to the property. Properties MUST have an existing address.
Provide opportunities for the houseless to be directly involved in the construction, layout, and formation of their new tiny house communities, giving them self-worth, purpose, direction, and recognition of their value to their own success.
Set up donation locations for community to donate items needed for construction and for the residents to offset the total costs of project.
Build tiny house communities to bridge the gap between the gutter and permanent housing. Provide a stable location for organizations and outreach teams to reach and connect with their clients. Connect residents with the services they need to address any issues or challenges they might be facing so they can correct, heal, adapt, and be prepared to re-integrate back into society when permanent housing becomes available. Repair the broken bonds of our communities and our citizens by teaching tolerance, empathy, and showing our neighbors how we can all co-exist and thrive together.
