Greenville Homeless Alliance to build 2 tiny homes with grant from Greenville Women Giving

Greenville Homeless Alliance is a non-profit organization that helps the homeless find a place to live.

"Our mission is to strengthen partnerships for individuals or families who are seeking stability and experiencing homelessness in Greenville County," said Susan McLarty, director of the Greenville Homeless Alliance.

On Tuesday night, Greenville Women Giving awarded The Homeless Alliance $97,125 to build two tiny homes. In all, the group awarded $503,555 in grant funding to six non-profit organizations in Greenville County.

Other recipients included South Carolina Children's Theatre, The Nicholtown Child and Family Collaborative , Loaves & Fishes, The Period Project, and Generations Group Home.

"We are thrilled to be able to make a positive impact on these extremely worthy organizations," said Greenville Women's Giving Co-Chair Jane Pannier. "The sheer volume of grant applications this year tells us our community’s needs are growing."

"Through the collective giving of our 500+ members, we can initiate lasting change for the good of our community," she said. "The more members we have to contribute, the greater our impact can be."

Greenville Homeless Alliance to build tiny homes

Homes for the Greenville Homeless Alliance will be designed by Fine Arts Center architecture students and local architects and constructed by Soteria prison re-entry program interns.

Soteria Community Development Corporation provides individuals with housing, job training, and discipleship services to help them smoothly transition back into society.

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Over the past five years, for those who completed the 12-month program, 0% recidivated.

“We reclaim wood and reclaim lives,” said Jerry Blassingame, founder and executive director of Soteria Community Development Corporation. "This program provides much-needed permanent rental homes for our 12-month graduates so they can work at jobs in Greenville County."

"This project offers students an opportunity to gain firsthand experience in designing and constructing a tiny home," McLarty said.

These tiny homes will be situated on Soteria-owned land, where the men's transitional housing is located, and constructed on a permanent foundation using lumber supplied by Soteria.

McLarty said that the tiny homes have three different designs.

She described the tiny home as a type of house that does not exceed 200 square feet and features living quarters, a full bathroom, and a kitchen.

This is the pilot phase of a broad, innovative vision to create a mixed-income neighborhood community with up to 30 tiny homes for individuals re-entering society from incarceration as well as people emerging from chronic homelessness.

According to McLarty, those who were incarcerated are 10 times more likely to experience homelessness than the general population.

"It takes at least three years for a criminal record to be removed before you can rent a home again," she said.

"We believe that if you can get a job plus housing, you can become an independent, successful member of the community," McLarty said.

Soteria currently has 18 transitional rental homes that provide 32 beds for men and women.

"Depending on site designs, they will be able to add up to 20 small homes per acre," McLarty said.

McLarty said the cost of building a tiny house varies. These tiny homes will be rented to Soteria program graduates who are homeless for around $300 per month.

Who are Greenville Women Giving?

Greenville Women Giving is a collective network of women established in 2006 as part of the Community Foundation.

The organization has awarded 152 grants to 92 non-profit organizations, totaling over $8.5 million, according to a press release.

The organization awards various non-profit grants yearly to expand its programs and reach more needy individuals.

This year, 54 qualified grant applications were submitted to Greenville Women Giving.

To be eligible for a Greenville Women's Giving grant, the application must address a need in at least one of the organization's five focus areas, the arts, education, environment, health, and human services.

Each grant request must offer services exclusively within Greenville County.

Groups that received grants

Six organizations were selected to receive grants this year based on a vote of members.

South Carolina Children's Theatre will receive $76,430 in funding to purchase assistive technology for individuals with sensory sensitivities, creating an inclusive experience for all families.

The Nicholtown Child and Family Collaborative will receive $100,000 over two years to help fund staff salaries, program supplies and participant meals for individuals participating in the “Nurturing Parenting Skills and Parent Cafe” program.

Loaves & Fishes will receive $100,000 over two years to help cover the operating costs of four refrigerated trucks that safely deliver more than 1 million pounds of donated perishable produce to organizations that provide nutritious meals to 42,000 people in Greenville County who would otherwise go unfed.

The Period Project will receive $80,000 to distribute 12,100 period packs in Greenville County for one year.

Generations Group Home will receive $50,000 to update the 32-year-old kitchen of this nationally accredited residential and psychiatric treatment facility for young boys who are victims of sexual abuse.

Travis Rose covers Anderson County for the Independent Mail. Reach him via email at trose@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Anderson Independent Mail: Homeless Alliance to build tiny homes with Greenville Women Giving grant