Tiny Homes in Detroit --- Why or Why Not ? A guest Blogger answers...

 Guest Blogger answers...ROBIN RUNYAN     Thank You Curbed  Detroit (oops almost said Curbed NY) for covering this -

 In Detroit- we are a special case. Detroit is post hurricane. We are a candidate for  not for profits like Habitat for Humanity. But Detroit has a history of social work projects  with a political aspect. As long as the Government entities in Washington allows cities to do their own social retooling and avoid the politics of poverty, Detroit and other cities like it can be successfully habitat diverse post Hurricane, regardless of the cause for the storm.
Such a local effort - Cass Community Social Services is doing something no where near Cass Corridor, and they are getting support from corporate entities  and private persons.

 Placing women who were formerly homeless  and or unemployed  in these tiny homes does not overwhelm these first time homeowners. Having seen how HUD messed it up Post Rebellion/Riot in the Northwest section of Detroit by giving first time homeowners homes that they could barely afford These tiny Homes are a smarter alternative to a group home, or no home at all.

 (HUD blew it in Detroit post Rebellion/Riot: To mow the lawn on the regular  got to be expensive when the new homeowner  also owed on the utilities .... if the breadwinner  got laid off it was All Over - next thing you know there was an abandoned house on a perfectly good street ) Later this happened all over the city but HUD did it first -because it was an attempt to address the War On Poverty

They got it right this time... Tiny Homes teach you how to live sensibly on a low income and still enjoy your space without it being a burden . All homes  always have to upkeep/fix-.it  protocol. The problem is Can You Afford The Fix It Lifestyle?  I know .... I run my parents suburban home for them and I am always hiring someone - its the norm in my zipcode for a house with a circular driveway , etc.  Some things I am budgeting of course  - I mean I can rake my own leaves and forgo the Gym Membership . 

But many Americans are struggling and a Gym Membership is out of the question. Cass Community Social Services  has addressed the housing dilemma for this demographic before and this time its not renovating an apartment building. Having gone to WSU in the bad days of Cass Corridor (Pre Dally in the Alley) to be exact  the 1st Dally called  Gallimaufry, a 16th century word used to describe a jumble of things and people...

I salute the effort.

The Cass  Corridor  is so developed ( another article ) that the homemaking project had to move to the  zipcode next to Highland Park on the west 48206 . On Elmhurst between the Lodge and

Woodrow Wilson street in Dexter Linwood Neighborhood  a once beautiful middle class neighborhood with Big  Houses is now going tiny.

1st tiny house @ 1564 Elmhurst , 48206 



                  

                               ROBIN RUNYAN writes 
"A lot of questions have come up regarding the community of tiny homes developing in Detroit for the low-income population. We wanted to answer some of the most frequent questions and welcome more. It’s certainly a different program for Detroit, but one that’s growing in different areas around the country. Here we go.

Why don’t you just renovate some of the thousands of abandoned houses around Detroit?

True, Detroit has many abandoned houses. The cost of renovation is high, as is the cost of maintaining a larger house. The electric bill including heat in the winter is estimated at $32 a month in a tiny home.

Cass Community Social Services has renovated buildings for housing, including a neighboring 41-unit apartment building. A tiny home can give a low-income individual or couple a chance at owning an asset, giving them opportunities to borrow money in the future. This tiny home program is the only home ownership program for people earning as little as $10,000 in the country.

Who can live in this community?

At least half of the renters will be formerly homeless people and the rest will be low-income seniors and students who have aged out of foster care. Residents need to have a steady income in order to qualify for this program.

                                                            How much does it $ to build a tiny home ?

A 300-square-foot home is estimated to cost $48,000 to build, based on professional trades and purchased materials. CCSS is being helped out by volunteers and is utilizing donations, so the costs vary depending on size, donated materials, and volunteer hours. The Cass tiny home program is privately funded.

 

How many people can live in a tiny home?

One individual or a couple. Each tiny home has a kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area. Each house is limited to two small pets.

Who will maintain the yard/exterior?

Residents will maintain their home and yards. Cass will loan residents lawnmowers, rakes, shovels, ladders, etc. The exteriors of the homes are mostly maintenance free.

How many homes will be in the community? When will they be built?

One model home was finished last fall, while six more were just completed. Three more will be started in June. The hope is to have at least 25 homes on these formerly vacant lots, as funding permits. If funding allows, Cass plans on building at least 10 more for families in a second phase.

Aren’t tiny homes just a fad?

Ask us in five years. 

Update:  BY ROBIN RUNYAN  NOV 7, 2017 in Curbed Detroit 

Ground broke on Monday on the next phase of the tiny home community in Detroit. Currently, seven homes sit at Woodrow Wilson and the Lodge in a new development by Cass Community Social Services. Five more are now under construction, with the goal of building 25 total for the low-income population in Detroit.

The General Motors Foundation is helping by building and funding three of the houses for low-income women. The Cass Community Service’s Women in Motion program is aimed at helping women gain upward economic mobility. This tiny home program is the only rent-to-own model in the country !!

The GM funding will provide support to three low-income women who are either formerly homeless, seniors, or students aged out of foster care. This seven year rent-to-own model has the goal of helping women escape poverty with homeownership."   Thanks Robin!

 I personally think this is reasonable  because 50 K  is what you can spend just trying to fix a Detroit Land Bank house after you spent the 25 K to buy it ...

 Note: NY taught me the value of affordability and working without killing myself.  I  am investigating building  a tiny house and or-  a motor home with a Pilates Studio  inside - since Retirement is the surest way to age. 

 Check out below : The mirrored  tiny home is an AirBnB in Sweden  I am thinking that the mirrors allow it to please the fussy neighbors as well as be avant garde . Imagine this in NY - spend 50 K for the lot, but be architecturally famous . Or maybe go the railroad car/container  route. Containers are  more hurricane proof- hmmmmm

Enjoy the video @) 20 minutes of educating the public about the possibilities