*Photo Above: A new A Tiny Home for Good homeowner.
During a recent grant round, we provided A Tiny Home for Good with a $21,000 Community Grant to hire an architect to design plans for new single family housing in partnership with the Syracuse Land Bank.
Written by: katie weaver, director of development, a tiny home for good
A Tiny Home for Good supports those facing homelessness by providing affordable, permanent housing and supportive services to encourage long-term housing stability. When it comes time to build, we work closely with the Greater Syracuse Land Bank to acquire vacant lots and abandoned homes in neighborhoods throughout the city that need investment.
A recent study confirmed that Syracuse is facing a housing crisis. Much of the housing in Syracuse has been neglected for decades. Consequently, property values have stagnated and the cost of catching up on deferred maintenance and improvements generally exceeds what properties are worth so there is no incentive for homeowners to fix up their properties. On top of this, rent is still too expensive for nearly half of city residents who are paying 30% of a meager income for dilapidated housing.
While this information is alarming, it provides ample opportunity for housing-focused nonprofits to step into the void. Without the burden of needing to turn a profit, A Tiny Home for Good is able to allocate resources to revitalize blighted homes and build on small vacant lots that are often unappealing to other developers.
Thanks to a recent grant from the Central New York Community Foundation, we are expanding our partnership with the Greater Syracuse Land Bank to collaborate with an architect to create three appropriate housing designs targeting small, buildable vacant lots. Subsequently, these designs will be submitted to a modular builder, who will adapt them for modular construction, allowing for the potential of factory assembly and on-site installation. We will compare modular construction techniques to stick built methods to explore potential time and cost efficiencies.
The project’s core objective is to create a housing solution that not only addresses the pressing need for affordable homes in the City of Syracuse’s distressed neighborhoods, but also contributes to neighborhood revitalization. These home designs will prioritize quality and affordability, complementing the historic character of Syracuse’s neighborhoods. The designs will potentially streamline A Tiny Home for Good’s building process, and will also be made available to residents who may be interested in acquiring and building on a vacant lot, but need help getting started.
We are grateful for the vision of the Central New York Community Foundation for its continued support and belief in our work.
