Next phase of tiny homes breaks ground in Detroit

Ground broke on Monday on the next phase of the tiny home community in Detroit. Currently, seven homes sit at Woodrow Wilson and the Lodge in a new development by Cass Community Social Services. Five more are now under construction, with the goal of building 25 total for the low-income population in Detroit.

The General Motors Foundation is helping by building and funding three of the houses for low-income women. The Cass Community Service’s Women in Motion program is aimed at helping women gain upward economic mobility. This tiny home program is the only rent-to-own model in the country (answers to questions we often hear can be found here).

The GM funding will provide support to three low-income women who are either formerly homeless, seniors, or students aged out of foster care. This seven year rent-to-own model has the goal of helping women escape poverty with homeownership.

Cass Community Social Services hopes to build more homes starting in the spring. Each costs about $50,000 and the homes are generally sponsored by organizations and built by volunteers. According to the Free Press, the high price can be accrued due to additional infrastructure, including adding power lines and sidewalks.

Our video team recently toured the first few houses as new residents started to move in.