TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — The Duke Energy Foundation on Tuesday donated $12,500 to support a developing project from a local not-for-profit, Mental Health America of West Central Indiana, Inc. (MHAWCI). MHAWCI is working to construct a Tiny Homes Village in Ryves Neighborhood, a movement that is trending across the nation to house persons experiencing homelessness.
Jessica Brown, director of development for MHAWCI, said, “One of our philosophies here is that housing is a human right and in order to get your overall wellness stable — mental, physical, emotional — you need a roof over your head.”
Data supports that this type of initiative is more effective and reduces costs of emergency shelter, criminal justice, healthcare, emergency services, and behavioral healthcare. As each tiny home is built, the program will allow someone in the agency’s existing housing program to move on to the next phase of independence. It will then open up a unit for someone currently experiencing homelessness.
“People forget that in order to get better and become rehabilitated back into society, you need a safe place to lay your head,” Brown said. “You can have an address to get services and get things that you need.
“We’re an area where we can help bridge that gap and with the Tiny Home Village, it’s just the next stop into a person’s overall growth and wellness, and stability, really,” she added.
With Duke Energy Foundation’s support and funding, the agency can officially purchase construction materials for the first Tiny Home. The goal is to build nine Tiny Homes. Tiny Homes will also be accessible to people with disabilities.
Indiana State University students majoring in engineering and design management are eager and committed to building, and the hope is to break ground in April so the first tiny home should be under construction in the fall.
