Tiny homes for Muncie's homeless planned
MUNCIE — A nonprofit group is planning to build what is believed to be the state's first village of tiny houses for the homeless.
While tiny house reality television shows flaunt ingenious structures in spaces no larger than 500 to 600 square feet, the Muncie project will provide less than 100 square feet per house.
"It's better than a cardboard box," says local government planner Fred Daniel, who attended this year's American Planning Association annual conference in Phoenix. One of the sessions dealt with the growing popularity of affordable "micro-houses" (between 60 and 200 square feet) and "micro-villages" for "un-housed people." Daniel added: "It gives them a space of their own. They can close the door and get away from people."
Bridges Community Services is seeking a variance from the Metropolitan Board of Zoning Appeals for a micro-village of six houses, each 96 square feet, near the intersection of Eighth and Liberty streets, behind the Bridges office.
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"Right now I am housing three hard-to-house individuals in our emergency shelter and we have found some people under the bridges and we do have people sleeping in the waiting rooms at the hospital," says Susie Kemp, Bridges director. "I'm not telling you there are a lot of them, but I'm not telling your there are none, either."
The state of Indiana's latest annual homeless count found 5,863 people without a home on Jan. 28, 2015; of those, 582 were "un-sheltered/on the streets." Nearly 800 of the 5,863 were veterans. Many in the overall group were victims of mental illness, substance abuse or domestic violence. Delaware County counted 190 homeless people.
"There are some folks who just have a hard time coming back into a normal housing situation," Kemp said. "They have mental health issues, they just flat-out don't like being around people — post traumatic stress disorder is another one." Many are older men who "are afraid of other people."
Brad Meadows, spokesman for the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, told the Star Press: "We just became familiar with these tiny houses last week and we are not familiar with any others in the state."
The site of Bridges' proposed micro-village is surrounded by the Tom Cherry Mufflers shop, the old Big John's Bar & Grill, the Versatile Metal Works factory, the Full Gospel Temple Educational Center (old Harrison School) and several rental houses. Enclosed by a wooden privacy fence, the large grassy site seems large enough to accommodate more than six tiny houses.
But Kemp says that "I don't want it to be too crowded and don't want the neighborhood to get up in arms."
"It's a little village," she told The Star Press. "A place for them to become comfortable until they get used to more societal living than they're used to."
The tiny home movement became more popular after the Great Recession as people downsized to save money, to enjoy a simpler lifestyle, and to have less impact on the environment.
The Bridges' project will include three houses on either side of a brick walkway, a community garden and a new building containing restrooms, showers and kitchen facilities. The tiny houses will have electricity and heating but won't include plumbing. Each house will include a bed, a loft storage area, two windows and a desk.
Kemp has visited tiny houses in Seattle. Asked if she would compare them to a utility shed in a residential back yard, she said they might be comparable in size to a shed but "look more like your home. Each one is individual."
"It's almost like having a dorm room but it's your own house," said Terry Whitt Bailey, director of Community Development for the city of Muncie, one of more than two dozen supporters of the village. "It's kind of a new trend in trying to give people housing options. It's a housing option. Some people are comfortable living in small, confined spaces. We want people to have a safe place to live … where we can put a group of homes where people can also get services. We call that shelter plus care."
Micro-villages for the homeless have been built in other cities including Madison, Wis., as an "inexpensive way to help people get a grip on life again," Kemp said.
Micro-villages are not a permitted use in the residential zone under the city of Muncie/Delaware County zoning ordinances.
"The closest thing would be a seasonal work camp for migrants in the farming zone," Daniel said, which is why the project requires a variance of use from the BZA.
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Contact Seth Slabaugh at (765) 213-5834.
