Tour the tiny home community in Detroit

One story that’s received quite a bit of attention in Detroit is the community of tiny homes being built for low-income residents. Cass Community Social Services has led this project, located near the Lodge and Woodrow Wilson Street. On Thursday, May 25 through Saturday, May 27, the public is welcome to tour the homes themselves.

The tours are scheduled every 10 minutes from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. each day. Tickets cost $75.00 per person or $100 for two people. Reservations are required and can be made online.

Courtesy of Cass Community Social Services

Each house is different, and they run from 250-400 square feet. Each house includes an oven, stove, microwave, refrigerator and a washer-dryer. Each house is furnished with a bed, dining table with chairs, and couch that the new resident can keep or replace with their own. Residents are expected to start moving in this June.

The Ford Motor Company Fund has invested $400,000 in the project and the Junior League of Detroit has sponsored a Tiny Home and donated kitchen supply kits for all residents.

“Every home is different – there are cottages, a Colonial, a Victorian, a Tutor and an environmental house – each has a distinctive feature so the residents will have a sense of pride in their home,” states Cass Executive Director Faith Fowler.

Those participating on the tour will receive Reverend Fowler’s soon-to-be-published “Tiny Homes in a Big City,” which, “looks at the “American Dream,” the historical use of small houses in the U.S. and the use of tiny homes for poor and homeless people.” Guests will also get to snack on “tiny treats” in each house created by chef Matt Prentice and the Cass Catering team.