Progress on the construction of the innovative Tiny Homes Village (THV), a supportive housing community built for people living with mental illness, continues to move forward thanks to the financial support of local agencies, including Cardinal Innovations Healthcare, which recently committed a $100,000 grant to the project.
All total, THV has received more than $265,000 in grants since the spring, including $15,000 from Wells Fargo, $50,000 from the A.J. Fletcher Foundation and $100,000 from Alliance Health.
UNC Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health (part of the UNC School of Medicine), UNC School of Social Work and the nonprofit organization Cross Disability Services (XDS, Inc.) have led efforts to develop the THV community. Social work associate professor Amy Blank Wilson serves as co-director of the project and has worked with THV founder Thava Mahadevan for the last few years to get the housing model off the ground.
The planned community will provide affordable housing and services for adults living with persistent and severe mental illness and other health conditions. The community is being constructed at the Farm at Penny Lane, a therapeutic farm in Chatham County. When completed, the THV will include 15 houses of about 400-square-feet each.
The development is believed to be the first of its kind in the world that is being designed to provide not only affordable housing but additional services to residents, including access to healthy food and behavioral-health support. Other community amenities will include a clubhouse, walking trails, and an outdoor pavilion.
With construction on the homes expected to begin this fall, the THV team continues to focus on efforts to raise money for the community and is grateful for the financial support of partners, such as Cardinal Innovations, Wilson said.
“We are very thankful for this grant, which provides support that is critical to the success of this project,” she said.
