Tiny Homes in the Big D

        Reverend Faith Fowler is well known in the metropolitan Detroit area for having started a ministry to the poor and needy that has grown into a multi-faceted outreach. Cass Community Social Services began in 2002 with the goals of “fighting poverty, creating opportunity and building community.”

        At present, the Cass campus includes several renovated apartment buildings, a family shelter, food services, a store and a Green Industries center where cast off tires are transformed into products like sandals and rubber mats, and small solar generators are created to provide affordable electricity.

       In addition, there are gardens and a greenhouse to help provide food for the community, a warehouse containing garden tools and landscaping equipment and a place where people can borrow bicycles for transportation. A new innovation began in 2016 with the “Tiny House” development, described in detail in Reverend Fowler’s latest book, Tiny Homes in a Big City. Twenty-five vacant city lots adjoining the Cass campus were acquired with the vision of building affordable homes for people who were needy.

      Why a home over an apartment or the shelter? Renting an apartment doesn’t build up any equity over the years; there is nothing to fall back on if a personal crisis arises. Money is already tight and many people are forced back out on the street.

When living at the shelter, people’s lives are governed by rules; and privacy is nonexistent. Although these options are available at Cass, her dream is to empower people by allowing them to own their own home, thus having assets in order to begin to break out of a generational cycle of poverty

      After doing extensive research and visiting several villages for the homeless around the country, a plan was developed to build twenty-five 250- 400 square foot homes, one on each lot. Organizations, churches and individuals have contributed to the costs—about $40,000 per home—and have provided volunteer labor, building materials and furnishings. Each tiny home has a bathroom, living room, sleeping area (usually a loft) and kitchen with a stove, refrigerator, microwave and a washer-dryer unit.

      Who is eligible to own one of the homes? Low income people...those who have been homeless at one time, senior citizens and young people who have aged out of foster care and are in college. They are carefully screened and must show that they have a steady source of income in order to pay rent over a period of seven years, before assuming ownership of the property.

      Rent is assessed on the footage of the house at one dollar per square foot! Rent on a 400 square foot house is $400 per month, for example. The monies collected by Cass for rent are used to pay expenses such as the cost of utilities and property taxes. After seven years, the house deeds will be transferred over to the residents, who then take over full responsibility for the bills and costs of upkeep. Presently they are required to attend ‘new home owner’ meetings where they learn how to do basic things around the house, make a budget and how to supplement their incomes to ensure success. In addition, as part of a home owners association they help develop their own rules and regulations.

      Thirteen attractive tiny homes have now been completed and six more are in the process of being built on the acquired property, with a future plan to build some a bit larger for families. More vacant land is also being purchased from the city.

Reverend Fowler says that the response to the unique houses has been positive, with people constantly driving by to take pictures. And the future owners? According to Reverend Fowler, they are very conscientious about paying their rent on time and are incredibly happy. One senior calls her new home a “mini-mansion!”

      The phenomenal response from the rest of the world has also been a surprise, with over 90 million views of an online video about the Tiny Homes project! Reverend Fowler has been contacted by representatives from countries world-wide, especially from many areas that are struggling economically.

      What is the main question they are asking? “How can very poor people acquire residential stability and economic mobility to get ahead?” The Tiny Homes project seems to be an answer to this question. Thank you Rev. Fowler for your vision and your passion to help those in need!

“Where there is no vision the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18a KJV