Special to The Truth
Monroe Street Neighborhood Community Center sponsored an Open House at Bluff Street Village Tiny Homes on Saturday, May 16. The Open House was on Bluff Street at Rosedale Street.
Visitors were able to view the inside of one of the houses among the seven that have been built over the last five years by the Monroe Street Neighborhood Center.
Bluff Street, located in Toledo’s Monroe-Auburn Neighborhood, sat nearly abandoned for many years. Now, the Bluff Street Village project is helping to transform the deserted road into a flourishing, beautiful neighborhood.
Bluff Street Village provides high-quality housing for persons with annual incomes of less than $22,000. The project gives the residents opportunities to build equity while transforming Bluff Street into a thriving, beautiful neighborhood.
While there are currently seven homes on the street, another eight are envisioned by the Center within the next few years. Six of the homes are occupied, mostly by individuals with disabilities. The residents rent their homes for seven years and then can assume ownership of the fully-paid residences. During their seven years they participate in monthly association meetings, attend workshops that deal with home maintenance and budgeting and they donate 10 hours of community service per month.
The homes are not pre-fabricated units. They have been built from the ground up by the Center’s team, said Rev. Larry Clark, who has served on the Monroe Street Neighborhood Center board of directors for six years.
The project depends on donors and sponsors to make this tiny-home community come to life. Bluff Street Village is a stabilizing force—an encouraging sign of new investment and bright horizons that will spark new development in the surrounding area.
The Monroe Street Neighborhood Community Center and Executive Director Tracci Johnson provide necessary food, clothing, Senior Exercise program and summer reading enrichment program called Freedom School. The center provides services geared toward strengthening families.
Individuals, groups and corporations may sponsor Bluff Street Village – Tiny Houses Project by contacting Johnson at 419-473-1167, ext. 206. Donations can be made at the website: www.monroesnc.com/donate/
