MIDLAND, Texas (Nexstar) – A lot of dirt and rocks now, but 23 acres in southwest Midland will be transformed into a thriving community of tiny homes. These homes will be for people who are currently without a home.
“We are at the construction site of The Field’s Edge, and we are building a permanent supportive tiny home community for the chronically homeless,” said Executive Director of The Field’s Edge John-Mark Echols.
Echols said the nonprofit focuses on empowering people into a lifestyle of service in the community.
“We built this community of tiny homes to really facilitate relationship building,” he said. “All the homes face each other [and] there are common areas and it’s meant to help people forge a family and have a sense of belonging so they can have a life that is meaningful.”
Construction began this year, but the project started years ago.
Echols showed us around the premises where some clients will be living, “we are standing in a community bathroom, kitchen, with all the pots and pans with ranges of many things around and a laundry facility.”
Echols shared it’s their first tiny home community in the Permian Basin. The village will also provide work opportunities for people who will live there.
“We will have opportunities for them to do landscaping and cleaning of our buildings, but also things like gardening, art, pottery and other things that really empower somebody to get into something that they love,” Echols said.
He said once the village is complete, it will be a community of 100 homes.
“In each pod there are nine tiny homes for the chronically homeless … they are single-occupant … just one person per house,” he shared. “There’s a missional home for someone who wants to live here and kind of be the community builder.”
He shared he also has experience living in a tiny home.
“Living in a tiny home has taught me about what’s important … what you need and what you don’t,” Echols said.
To qualify for a tiny home you must be on your own, no children, no spouses and must have been chronically homeless in Midland County for one year.
“We have an interest list that we have put together with the connections and people that we know here in Midland,” he said. “We will soon be opening up applications probably after the first of the year.”
This will be a place where some will have the chance to heal, settle down and find themselves again.
Construction of the tiny home village will be done in April of 2022. Donations for the village are still being accepted.
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