NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A local fellowship has a new approach to the growing problem of affordability in Nashville.
NewsChannel 5 reported on plans for a micro village to house the homeless last month.
Now, the Infinity Fellowship has raised the money to begin construction.
“We put some wiring in for the electrical components, put the window and the door in,” contractor Dwayne Jones showed off one of three half-finished homes.
They are the smallest houses he's ever built.
“It’s gonna look like a miniature room,” he said, “it’s gonna have dry wall, it’s gonna have laminate wood flooring, it’s gonna be painted.”
They're meant for Nashville's homeless. The 60-sq-ft homes are built onto trailer beds for easy transportation and to avoid city codes which wouldn’t allow such a small dwelling.
It’s a vision of Dwayne's that’s finally taking form.
“I’ve been dreaming about doing this for years,” he said.
After a month and a half of fund raising and several setbacks like an attempted break in at the model home, a night drive-by theft and theft of two unmanned trailer beds, the Infinity Fellowship hit more than $50,000 in donations.
“We’ve had some setbacks but they’ve assisted us in getting the publicity to get people to step up,” said Rev. Jeff Obafemi Carr, who runs the Fellowship.
Each 6 feet by 10 feet micro home costs $7,500 to build. And Carr says this idea isn’t exclusive to house the homeless. It could take off all over town.
“We want to set the tone for being able to build micro villages not just for the homeless but for people in Nashville who need affordable housing,” he said.
Carr himself has been there.
“We had a rough period, foreclosure and all that we had to stay at my mother-in-law’s house and that was the only thing that saved us from being out there,” he said, “it can happen to anybody.”
Donors and new supporters hope it's another answer for the estimated 3,000 people on Nashville streets every night.
“I love it!” said Craig Stephens, who works for a major flooring distributor. He’s planning to donate flooring for future micro homes.
Each home contains a murphy bed, microwave and window unit. Some will also have ceiling fans. And the 60 square feet are filled with something else: love.
That’s something Dwayne thinks will be obvious on move-in day especially.
“I’m a big guy and I typically don't cry but I think I’m gonna break down on this particular opportunity,” he said.
By Friday the first six homes will be complete and volunteers will help drive them to their permanent location south of downtown. The lot is owned by a local non-profit who the Fellowship is not yet naming. Carr hopes there isn’t any push back from the neighborhood once they set up shop.
“We need to do some education because when you say ‘homeless village’ a lot of people think shanty town when they should think high quality affordable houses.”
Stay with NewsChannel 5 for the final location, which should be announced Wednesday.
