T.J. Rodgers expands local investments to a nonprofit's tiny home village to help the homeless as soon as this winter | Streetwise
OSHKOSH – It took T.J. Rodgers all of one meal to decide the Oshkosh Kids Foundation's Tiny House Village for the homeless was a worthwhile investment.
"I remember pulling out a napkin, making a calculation and committing $2.8 million at the table," he said of a meeting between him and the project's team.
The village is currently under construction on a 3.57-acre site on the 200 block of W. Packer Ave. When complete, it will house 32 tiny homes and a community center with a kitchen, programming space and other resources for residents.
The whole project costs about $4.98 million, and Oshkosh Kids Foundation Executive Director Julie Dumke said they have about $800,000 more to raise in in-kind and monetary donations.
She said the first 16 houses and the community center are expected to be completed by the end of October. She's hopeful to begin housing the first round of residents — up to 16 families — by this winter.
"We hope (the housing and services) will move the needle on why they became homeless and help them get into a secure living situation," she said.
The remaining 16 homes would be completed and filled come spring time.
The nonprofit organization partners with ADVOCAP, a community action agency that serves Fond du Lac, Winnebago and Green Lake counties to "break the cycle of poverty," according to its website. Dumke said all families living at the Tiny House Village will go through ADVOCAP.
There are currently 51 families that would qualify for the village. All will have to apply and sign a lease agreement that includes a background check and commitment to onsite programming specific to their situation.
There also will be an onsite case manager, whom Dumke said they are hoping to hire by the end of October.
She said the Oshkosh Kids Foundation's goal is for families to stay in the village until they have the resources they need to find a well-paying job, reliable transportation and get into a stable housing situation.
Rodgers, a billionaire entrepreneur who in 1982 founded the California-based Cypress Semiconductor, was born in Oshkosh and has invested in several community projects over the years, most recently purchasing the Oshkosh Northwestern building for $2 million.
He's also an owner of the Oshkosh Country Club and TJ's Harbor Restaurant, and helped revive Ardy and Ed's Drive In.
He said he was approached about the Tiny House Village idea and thought it could have a huge impact. People can come to be homeless through a number of reasons, whether it's a lost job or a lack of knowledge about available resources, and Rodgers thinks transitional housing is one piece of the puzzle.
"But it's transitional housing with a lot of connections to counseling," he said. "The (Tiny House Village) requires you to take classes and programs, all of which will help you stand back on your feet."
He is working with the Oshkosh Kids Foundation to create a long-term plan that will help the village remain viable and low maintenance, including installing solar panels on the homes and community center as well as hot water lines under the paved surfaces that will melt snow in the winter, reducing the costs of snow removal.
"Building something is the easy part," Rodgers said. "Keeping it running for the next 10 years is harder. But we're working to make it self-sufficient."
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Contact Katy Macek at kmacek@thenorthwestern.com or 920-426-6658. Follow her on Twitter @KatherineMacek.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Oshkosh nonprofit, T.J. Rodgers to open homeless village by winter
