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Tiny house raffled off

Fundraiser will assist the Vernon First Nations Friendship Centre
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Barry McDougall

A small home will help a big need for housing.

The Vernon First Nations Friendship Centre  launched its tiny house raffle andfundraiser at the Allan Brooks Nature Centre recently to support the need for increased housing for youth at risk of being homeless.

Barry McDougall, manager of the Kekuli Apartment block owned and operated by the Vernon FNFCS, routinely turns away youth that seek housing and are couch-surfing.

The Kekuli Apartments house youth between 19 and 29 years in 20 apartments.

“We simply need more housing in this and many other communities across Canada,” said McDougall.

The tiny house concept was initiated by one of the safe house staff,  Kirk Lessard, while discussing ways to generate income for the Vernon FNFCS with McDougall.

The house is just 280-square-feet and features a bedroom, kitchen, living room, loft and maintenance room.

McDougall suggested building one tiny home to raise awareness of the issue and generate revenues to put toward the construction of a 20-unit community village of tiny homes.

Tickets for the raffle will go on sale once the tiny home is constructed in July over a two-week period by volunteer teams of professional builders and workers.

It will be on display at the Allan Brooks Nature Centre all of August and will be transferred to the Interior Provincial Exhibition and raffled off on the last day of the fair.

“We are hoping to generate enough money to help launch the planning construction for the 20-unit tiny home community at some suitable location in the Vernon area,” said Maggie King,  Vernon FNFCS board member.

“There is the old saying: ‘Go big or go home.’ You may as well think big and build 20 tiny homes for youth to go home to.”

The 122 friendship centres across Canada have mandates to house First Nations living in urban settings, which now represent 60 per cent of the aboriginal population in Canada.

The tiny house concept may be part of the answer to create more needed housing.

The friendship centres are clear that they do not discriminate for any of their services and that all youth in need of housing are eligible to acquire housing, regardless of heritage.

The Vernon FNFCS has partnered with the Allan Brooks Nature Centre to construct the tiny home on their lands at the centre.

“The partnership falls in line with the mandate of sustainable and environmental education for both agencies,” said Aaron Deans, executive director of the Allan Brooks Nature Centre.

The tiny home project has gained support from many individuals, agencies and companies such as Home Depot, Rouck Brothers Sawmill, Community Futures, Aboriginal Housing Management Association, the Affordable Housing Committee of Vernon, Ray Paul Electric, BTR construction, Lunde Architects,  925rDesign, Pacific Timberworks, solar panel companies, Capri Insurance and Elephant Storage.

The next step is to assemble the volunteer teams to build the tiny home.

McDougall encourages those interested in volunteering for build teams, wanting to donate financially or offer materials, to contact him at 250-306-3275 or e-mail kekuli@fnfc.ca.