What’s the best way to attack the housing crisis? In River Falls, it’s one tiny house at a time in an initiative called Wellspring Village.
The project was hatched by an ecumenical collaborative of six congregations, including First Congregational UCC of River Falls, which received a $5,000 Catalyst Grant from the Wisconsin Conference that will go toward construction of one tiny house. The congregation will raise an additional $15,000 to $20,000.
River Falls, a growing community of roughly 18,000 residents, is a 45-minute drive from the Twin Cities, and housing prices are out of reach for many. “Builders are building more high-income and middle-income homes,” said the Rev Chris Myers, pastor of First Congregational UCC. “Anything less than $350,000 is gone.” The Neighbor’s Place, a nonprofit that connects individuals in crisis with housing and other essential services, doesn’t have enough housing resources to meet the demand.
Guests in the tiny houses will be on week-to-week leases. Guests can renew their leases so long as they abide by a set of rules that forbid illegal activity and require that the houses be kept tidy. Guests also must meet personal goals like receiving treatment for substance abuse and pursuing employment. Trained volunteers will check in with them daily, and a licensed social worker will check in once a week. The goal is to provide a bridge to sustainable housing.
Two tiny houses will not solve River Falls’ housing problem, Chris said. Still, “the city was thrilled that someone was actually doing something about it.” Project leaders won over skeptics by correcting misunderstandings of the area’s homeless challenge, which differs from what residents see in the Twin Cities, with their homeless encampments.
“The big thing is talking about the face of homelessness,” Chris said. “Our clientele is likely to be No. 1, retired women. After that, families. Then, single people. Fourth is high school students. It’s a very different face of homelessness.”
Organizers anticipate that the first tiny house will be built this summer by high school students and placed in the parking lot at one of the partner churches, though it won’t be First Congregational, which doesn’t have a parking lot. A second house will follow in the fall. The location on church property is the result of the city’s unique interpretation of zoning ordinances, Chris said.
“They decided churches have a natural right to housing — parsonages.”