Indy Nonprofit, Church Collab on Tiny Home Project for Homeless
Indy Nonprofit and Church Collab on Tiny Home Project for Homeless
INDIANAPOLIS — A nonprofit group and an Indianapolis church are working together to help those that are homeless.
Sanctuary Indy and Lynhurst Baptist Church have partnered on a project to try and create a community of tiny homes and duplexes for the most at-risk people in the city.
“We are actually taking individuals who are at the very top of the list,” Michelle Shelburne, founder of Sanctuary Indy, told WISH-TV. “Without interaction, they would die outside.”
If approved, the plan is to build the community on South Lyndhurst Drive near West Washington Street. Sanctuary Indy has a 99-year-lease to develop the land owned by the church.
A grant from Indianapolis-based Congregations with Community is helping to fund the projects, with each home costing about $50,000.
Benjamin Wakefield, senior pastor of Lynhurst Baptist Church, said to the WISH-TV that the community will have mentors available for the residents to help them through the process.
“It’s not just ‘Here’s a house. Good luck.’ This is a wraparound service that really welcomes people and loves them right where they’re at.”
Those who move in would pay 30% of their income toward rent, which includes utilities.
Each tiny home would be about 350 square feet that comes with a full bathroom, a bedroom, a kitchenette and a front porch. The two groups are hoping to have the first six homes finished by this December and then duplexes for families and a community center built by 2027.
According to Shelburne, they cannot complete certain permits until after a modification hearing, set for Sept. 25.
