Graphic reflections from the Jan. 11 Tiny Homes Working Circle sketched live during the gathering by Yvonne Hollandy. Click here to see a larger version.
A group in Brantford, Ont. has been meeting fortnightly since 2021 in an effort to bring together local strengths and talents to create a tiny-home community as a citizen-led response to the housing crisis the city of 102,000 is experiencing.
The Tiny Homes Working Circle has been gaining lots of traction in recent weeks, and with each Zoom meeting the group is taking another step towards its goal of building a tiny-home community by starting with a single dwelling.
The first Tiny Homes Working Circle of 2023 kicked off with several new participants who are interested in affordable housing in Brantford joining the space — and they brought lots of forward momentum to help make the tiny-home community dream a reality.
| Things are running at such a quick pace members have asked for a second tiny-home summit… | |
One of the new participants in the Jan. 11 gathering was a local real-estate investor with a strong interest in the role tiny homes can play addressing the housing crisis.
What’s more, they have two parcels of land they’re considering using for tiny-home properties.
The participant told the group the land parcels they have can accommodate between 50 and 60 units, and they would like to dedicate 20 per cent of the land to affordable housing.
A longstanding member reported back that an early cost estimate has been established to start the pilot project to build one tiny home, and group members are now in the process of writing grants to secure funding.
Another member returned from the Christmas break with news that a property with potential room to build two tiny homes has been identified in Brantford.
Once again, participants shared the next steps they’re planning to take to help this project to the next level.
One new participant learned about a tiny-home project in Belleville, in eastern Ontario, similar to the one the Brantford group is trying to create.
This participant thought — and the group agreed — that connecting with representatives from the Belleville project to learn from their experiences would be greatly beneficial to the working circle.
They have committed to reaching out to the Belleville group with an invitation to join a future gathering.
Finally, having local city councillors on board will be an important step to creating a Brantford tiny-home community. One new participant volunteered to connect with two councillors who made access to affordable housing a priority in their election platforms. They said they would like “to find out what (the councillors) are interested in and how we can help each other.”
Things are running at such a quick pace that members have asked for a second tiny-home summit — the first was held in June 2022 — to bring together community members interested in the tiny-home project for another round of discussions and input, so stay tuned!
Get Involved!
If you have interest in joining this tiny home project in Brantford, Ontario, experience in building them, funds or spaces to offer or help access, or if you simply wish to know more, please contact Jocelyn at jocelynbirkes@clbrant.com.
A version of this article was originally posted on the Community Living Brant website, and appears here with permission.
