New Working Circle Participants Help Move Tiny-home Project Another Step Forward

By Deron Hamel

The first Tiny Homes Working Circle of 2023 kicked off with several new participants who are interested in affordable housing in Brantford joining the space — and they brought lots of forward momentum to help make the goal of creating a tiny-home community in the city a reality.

One of the new participants in the Jan. 11 gathering was a local real-estate investor with a strong interest in the role tiny homes can play addressing the housing crisis.

What’s more, they have two parcels of land they’re considering using for tiny-home properties.

Things are running at such a quick pace members have asked for a second tiny-home summit…

The participant told the group the land parcels they have can accommodate between 50 and 60 units, and they would like to dedicate 20 per cent of the land to affordable housing.

A longstanding member reported back that an early cost estimate has been established to start the pilot project to build one tiny home, and group members are now in the process of writing grants to secure funding.

Another member returned from the Christmas break with news that a property with potential room to build two tiny homes has been identified in Brantford.

Once again, participants shared the next steps they’re planning to take to help this project.

One new participant learned about a tiny-home project in Belleville similar to the one we’re trying to create in Brantford. This participant thought – and the group agreed – that connecting with representatives from the Belleville project to learn from their experiences would be greatly beneficial to the working circle. They have committed to reaching out to the Belleville group with an invitation to join us at a future gathering.

Finally, having local city councillors on board will be an important step to creating a Brantford tiny-home community. One new participant volunteered to connect with two councillors who made access to affordable housing a priority in their election platforms. They said they would like “to find out what (the councillors) are interested in and how we can help each other.”

Things are running at such a quick pace members have asked for a second tiny-home summit to bring together community members interested in the tiny-home project for another round of discussions and input, so stay tuned!

 

Share Your Story

If you are person with direct experience with precarious housing and/or homelessness, a builder, a property owner, or work for financial institution, a foundation, or non-profit you have something to offer. We’d love it if you take a few minutes to share your answers to these questions.

 

Lead image: Graphic reflections from the Jan. 11 Tiny Homes Working Circle sketched live during the gathering by Yvonne Hollandy. Click on the image to view the full graphic.

 

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