According to the U.S. Census, a third of Detroit residents live on less than $15,000 a year. Cass Community United Methodist is helping low-income buyers live the human dream of home ownership. The church is constructing tiny, dream homes for first-time buyers.
Script:
The Rev. Faith Fowler, Cass Community United Methodist Church: "For most people in this country your house is your piggy bank. But if you're poor, even if you have an income, you don't have enough of an income to qualify for a mortgage. So how could we do housing that would allow them to begin to acquire wealth or to have assets? Well, tiny houses."
A vacant lot in Detroit has become a field of dreams, says the Rev. Faith Fowler, pastor of Cass Community United Methodist Church.
Gladys: "I'm Gladys and I live in one of the tiny houses. If it wasn't for Cass Community, probably be dead by now."
The Rev. Faith Fowler: "So, the people that live in a tiny house, half of them are former homeless or formally incarcerated or both. And then a quarter of them are senior citizens and the other quarter are young adults who have aged out of the foster care."
Gladys: "And it's really helpful to people that don't have any place to go, don't have family, never will have one It's helping all sorts of folks to have dignity for themselves."
The Rev. Faith Fowler: "It's a game changer, it's a life changer."
Tag:
Cass Community Social Services is an outreach of Cass Community United Methodist Church.
Faith Fowler has written a book called Tiny Homes in a Big City, about the logistics and decisions behind the Cass tiny home project.
This video was produced by United Methodist Communications in Nashville, TN.
Media contact is Joe Iovino.
This video was first posted on August 1, 2019.
