A church in Oregon is building 15 Tiny Homes in an effort to reach out to the Local Homeless Community.
Central Church of the Nazarene in Portland saw a need in community and is extending a helping hand by building 15 tiny homes on their 11 acre property.
Matt Huff, the Lead Pastor at the church told the Christian Post “The church is in a place in Portland where we’re moving tents off the front step of the church on a regular basis. We’ve got people camping all over the place. And that’s our neighbors. How do we engage them and love them and not just to kick them out?”
The idea came after Huff visited other churches in the area with similar programs. He hopes to engage other churches in the community with the village by encouraging them to adopt one of the tiny homes.
The tiny community, called Agape Village, will provide transitional housing for the homeless to get back on their feet. Built entirely by volunteers primarily on Fridays and Saturdays, each insulated “sleeping pod” will hold a central common area, a kitchen, bathroom, and shower, as well as solar power batteries to allow residents to charge their cellphones. It won’t have electricity, plumbing or heating.
Agape Village will not require church attendance, but social workers from one of Agape’s partner organizations will be assigned to each resident. Huff said, “The idea is that it’s transitional and that you’re moving and working towards something.”
Residents must adhere to 5 rules: no violence, no theft, no alcohol or drugs, no disruptive behavior, and everyone must volunteer to help make Agape Village better.