The upfront cost of green building materials make them a luxury for home buyers, but a church in Detroit is putting low-income home owners in the forefront of the green revolution. Cass Community United Methodist is building tiny homes with solar panels and green technology to help first-time home buyers live sustainably and comfortably in this planned community. Each home is small and solar-powered, with unique charm.
Script:
(Detroit, Michigan)
The Rev. Faith Fowler, Cass Community United Methodist Church: "So, this is one of our newest houses, lots of windows, it allows in light. Very tall ceilings, it has a loft bedroom, a dining space, obviously a kitchen a full-size stove and microwave, an apartment-size refrigerator."
Each one of these 250- to 400-square-foot tiny houses is energy efficient and solar powered with unique curb appeal. The vision of the Rev. Faith Fowler and her church, Cass Community United Methodist, in Detroit.
The Rev. Faith Fowler: "We have a Tudor, a lighthouse, a modern house, a recycle house. They're all very attractive. Every house is different. That I thought was important because if you're poor, you tend to live in ugly housing stock."
Church members set out to rethink affordable housing and sustainability.
The Rev. Faith Fowler: "I think it communicates to people that poor folks can be at the cutting edge, or the lead, of the green revolution."
A green gym, clinic, and store are within walking distance in this planned community.
The Rev. Faith Fowler: "It's been fun to build a neighborhood, not just houses but people are the neighborhood."
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, Tennessee.
Media contact is Joe Iovino.
This video was first posted on August 1, 2019.
