If Barry McDougall has his way, a community of tiny homes will soon sprout up in Vernon.
The manager of the Kekuli Centre apartment complex and youth programs for the First Nations Friendship Centre (FNFC) is hoping to find a solution to the housing crisis for low-income youth who are facing barriers to affordable housing and are at risk of being homeless.
“In the interest of providing low-cost housing for youth at risk, we are proposing the construction of a transportable tiny home to be raffled off as a fundraising initiative on behalf of the First Nations Friendship Centre,” said McDougall. “The project will raise the urgency of providing housing for those facing barriers.”
With a typical family home around 2,600 square feet, a tiny home is between 100 and 400 square feet.
“I have a background in log house and timber frame construction so I was thinking making and raffling a tiny house would be a great way to make some money for the centre,” said McDougall. “Or, even better, perhaps someone will buy the house and donate it back to the FNFC.
“I spoke with Robert Kjarsgaard (Okanagan College residential construction program administrator) and he thought it might be a good opportunity to increase training for aboriginal carpenters.”
The idea, said McDougall, is to develop a program in conjunction with the college for a trades training program specifically developed for the urban aboriginal worker interested in learning the eco-technology and carpentry skills needed to build tiny homes.
It is anticipated to have at least three aboriginal carpenters involved as well as other contractors.
The FNFC envisions a small co-housing community in Vernon to provide housing for youth ages 19 to 29 and featuring a common kitchen and recreation area.
“We know we can build 20 of these units and manage a co-housing project,” said McDougall. “I have talked to Vernon Village Cohousing and they are interested.”
Currently, FNFC is preparing a call of interest from the public to support the development and construction of one tiny home and seeking interest from agencies, companies and individuals to donate the materials, funding and expertise needed to build the house.
“This is also an opportunity for elders with experience to share with construction trainees to build an environmentally sensitive tiny home,” said McDougall. “A lot of these young people have no support and to have them mix with elders would be fantastic.”
He said this vision is a continuation of the Kekuli apartment complex, owned and operated by the FNFC and providing safe and clean accommodation for all youth up to the age of 29, who are homeless or at risk of being homeless because of a physical, social or mental condition or disability.
“Across Canada, 70 per cent of aboriginal people now live off reserve in urban settings and in this area, it’s 50 per cent. Young people are facing barriers to education and housing,” said McDougall. “On average we receive four to five applications bi-weekly from people facing a housing crisis and most are turned away as vacancies are rare. A common phrase from individuals asked about their present housing is, ‘I am couch surfing.’
“When you hit 19, the world stops as you know it. You have to get into adult assumptions, but they are still kids.”
Rich Chapman is youth agreement support outreach worker for the FNFC. Based at Kekuli Centre, he works with both aboriginal and non-aboriginal youth.
“My whole position is dedicated to 16 to 18-year-olds who are not in a home or living with family and they get into agreements with the government to help them find a place to live,” he said. “But we need to make sure they are safe — they are staying in hotels or couch surfing.
“The barriers to housing stop lots of people with mental health issues. The benefit of a program like this is that they can develop the skills and the leadership and team building and could be ready for all kinds of things.”
While BC Housing works in partnership with the Aboriginal Housing Management Association (AHMA) to address the need for appropriate aboriginal social housing, FNFC president Valerie Chiba said there has been limited funding for youth requiring housing assistance.
“We have not had any new funding coming down the pipeline for our youth,” she said. “Housing here isn’t ideal. And I always feel for our men. There are a lot more resources for our women, but our men are really suffering as well. We have a lot of men who are single fathers and it’s difficult for them.
“Youth housing has always been an issue. Anytime we go and apply for housing, it’s always family housing we apply for. There is lots of money coming down the pipeline but it’s for on-reserve housing only. (Housing minister) Rich Coleman is an advocate for affordable housing, and they know it’s not all about housing — it’s way cheaper to have people housed than to have them be homeless. We pray for these kids.”
McDougall plans on soliciting every company and organization he knows in the North Okanagan for products and materials to build the tiny home, and is happy to hand out tax receipts.
“The city has the key to the problem, it needs to open up areas in the community that are suitable for suites in the basement or shared housing in a carriage house or a granny flat,” he said. “That would solve maybe half the problems. Let people have the option of adding suites.”
For more information about the tiny home project or if you can help in any way, please call McDougall at 250-306-3275.