A tiny home village that will house 60 houses is under construction, with an early 2022 anticipated partial opening date.
The project is being built by Hand in Hand of Glynn, an organization seeking to end homelessness in the city. Linda Heagy, treasurer for the charity revealed that the first 20 homes will be ready to be occupied in January 2022. The rest of the houses should be completed in subsequent months.
Former director of operations at FaithWorks Ministry, Carolyn Johnson, has meanwhile been named director of the tiny home village.
“We are thrilled that our project attracted so many qualified and interesting candidates.” said Anne Stembler, chair of the board of trustees of Hand in Hand of Glynn. “In the end, we were overwhelmed by Carolyn’s good judgment and her empathy for this population. She exhibits the required toughness of mind, but also views people through a lens of kindness. We are confident she has all the energy, experience, and enthusiasm to tackle this important and challenging work.”
Read: Are These Colorful Tiny Homes in Los Angeles The Model for Fighting Homelessness?
“I am super excited to be a new part of Hand in Hand of Glynn,” Johnson said. “With the community’s support and with the resources that have been and will be made available from everyone who has stepped forward, we will be able to help many people who are experiencing homelessness. My personal goal is to foster a family atmosphere among volunteers and residents. We want to help as many residents as possible to get back on their feet and improve the quality of their lives.”
The village is being built on a 4.24 acre lot at the site of the former Altama Presbyterian Church on Altama Avenue.
Other than the houses, the village will also include medical and psychological care areas, common area with laundry facilities, kitchen, library, food pantry, classroom; and a community garden.
The non-profit raised $3 million for the project in donations and pledges.
It is estimated that once fully operational, more than $1.6 million a year in tax-payers’ money will be saved for services such as shelters, medical care and police custody.
