A young St. Marys, Ont., woman has been handed the keys to independence and stability thanks to a charity that’s planning to open the first of many tiny homes for people at risk of homelessness.
The home is 490 square feet, but for Paige Noel, 20, it’s a big step toward getting established, all while staying close to her family. The tiny home was erected in her mother’s yard which is already at capacity.
“I never imagined I’d be able to have my own place like this,” Noel said.
The Perth County non-profit, Home Suite Home, started planning to build the home in May. The charity was approached by Noel’s mother looking for a solution for her daughter who is employed but unable to cover the cost of rent.
“We’ve been out there pounding the pavement and saying, look, we wanna do something,” Home Suite Home’s executive director Vickie Devocht said.
“[Paige] is a young adult, and she’s experienced hidden homelessness. She works, but she can’t afford the rising costs. I’m just elated that we are here.”
The one-bedroom home, which is furnished and has utilities covered, rents for $500 per month. Other homes the charity is working on have two bedrooms, and will go for between $800-$1000, Devocht said.
With a little bit of decoration, Noel said, it immediately began to feel like home.
Stratford contractor Teahen Construction built the home, but according to Devocht, other local groups concerned about rising homelessness donated furniture and other fixtures.
“Across the board, it’s just a crisis everywhere, and it spills into rural areas as well. It just doesn’t matter where you are, people need help,” Devocht said.
Home Suite Home also got advice from Project Tiny Hope in St. Thomas, Ont., which earlier the same week marked the grand opening of a whole tiny neighbourhood for people in need of affordable housing in that community.
Devocht said the grand vision for Home Suite Home is a sustainable agri-village on 0.94 acres of farmland that has been leased to the charity by a local farmer.
Come springtime, she said, the hope is to have more tiny homes open and available on that land.
As for Noel, she said the opportunity to move into her own place will hopefully be what she needs to take the next step.
“It was hard to take a breath sometimes, so it’s nice that I can be independent,” Noel said. “It’s hard to have hope without being independent.”
