Could tiny-home communities arise in C.O.?

One Oregon nonprofit is looking to create more affordable housing options across the state. The idea of SquareOne Villages is simple: Create tiny-home communities that people can afford.

Dan Bryant, the executive director of SquareOne Villages, said his team has already put in two tiny-house communities in Eugene that have seen great success.

Now he wants to help other cities do the same.

Bryant said Monday night at a Redmond Library presentation that in many instances, he sees people who have jobs but work for minimum wage and cannot afford rent.

By providing a tiny home at an affordable price, he believes the issue of homelessness can be changed for the better.

“Homelessness is a statewide problem, I have found that in almost every community around the state and almost every size of community, and most communities just don’t have adequate resources just to deal with it,” Bryant said. “So we have to be creative in coming up with new solutions, providing safe and decent affordable housing for people in need.”

Bryant’s hope is that a tiny-home community could be built in Redmond, or another city in Central Oregon.

Representatives of many local nonprofits were in attendance to listen to his presentation and to find out if they would be able to help with this program.

Alison McKinney, chairperson for the Redmond Service Providers Outreach Committee, said the issue of homelessness in Central Oregon and Redmond has only gotten worse after homeless camps around the region were cleared out.

She said something needs to be done to help create homes for people that need it most.

“It just becomes more and more important that the people who don’t even meet affordable income guidelines, that they have an opportunity to find a place to call home, where they can work on raising their income, regardless of whether it’s Social Security disability, SSI, somehow or another raise that income so they can have a place they call home, they can have permanent housing,” McKinney said. “Because everybody deserves a home.”

McKinney went on to say she believes a tiny-home village is a great idea for Central Oregon.

Outreach providers for the homeless and SquareOne Villages are hoping they can work together to get this project done.

If you would like more information on SquareOne Villages, click here.