Update on Slocum Four Unit Property

On a large corner lot on the Southwest side of the city, our volunteers work with passion and grit to complete our latest four unit project on-time for the grand reveal in May. Working tirelessly in snow or shine, our amazing builders have put all their drive and effort into working on our latest venture. For this project in particular, we have hired Hope 4 Us Housing, a not-for-profit that engages individuals who have been incarcerated and neighborhood young men in the building trades.  Andrew Lunetta, our executive director, was ecstatic about the partnership and anticipates it will be the start of a long friendship and working relationship between A Tiny Home for Good and Hope for Us Housing.

“We are hopeful that it will be an ongoing partnership as we kick off future jobs,” remarked Lunetta.

Hope 4 Us Housing is unique in that it hires its participants, provides-on-the job training, and then connects participants with potential employments after completing its one-year program. Founded in 2007, Hope for Us Housing Corp. is big on community engagement through various training programs that take donated items and transform them into reusable products.

Each of the four units is just under 300 sq. ft in a U-shape formation. Complete with a large shared wrap around porch, a shared courtyard space, and parking behind the homes. Each home will be equipped with all the facilities of a regular sized home. The venture is on track to stick to its $120,000 budget, which was almost completely funded from a very generous Albany based electrical union, International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine and Furniture Workers – Communications Workers of America, IUE-CWA.

While the project had been in discussion for some time, it wasn’t until late 2017 that Lunetta was approached by the IUE-CWA about potential funding opportunities.

“They liked the work we’ve done to date and have a charter to yearly support building projects around the Northeast. This project has only been made possible because of its generous support,” said Lunetta.

Our organization is currently working on the exterior for all four units with the roof almost completed on all of the properties. After completing the roof, the next step will be to complete the windows and doors. Within a week, Lunetta anticipates that our volunteers will being moving the work inside. The project is on track to being wrapped up in May.

While tenants have yet to be chosen, we will utilize our partner organizations to identify potential candidates a month away from the project’s completion. Potential tenants are referred to us by partner agencies, and while all tenants homes built by the organization have faced homelessness, we have recently been focused on supporting U.S. veterans.  

We are extremely excited about the completion of this project, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing help of our volunteers, tenants and the IUE-CWA.  All of their support allows our organization to make an impact in the community and provide safe and affordable housing to veterans facing homelessness.

By Regan Talley