A tiny home village has finally been completed after one house per week was built by a Canadian non-profit organization.
The gated community has 96 homes and rent is low to help reduce homelessness and poverty.
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12 Neighbors is a charity based in New Brunswick, Canada that aims to provide safe, affordable and permanent housing to those in need.
The charity’s founder, Marcel LeBrun, has been building a small residential community in north Fredericton since September 2021.
Its goal was to create a safe space for those who live on the streets or in the forest.
On April 18, the last house – number 96 – was installed in the gated community.
“Today is a landmark day. Two years ago, this was just a bunch of trees and vacant lots,” LeBrun said. CBC News.
He initially estimated the project would take four years, but decided he could complete it in just two.
“That meant we had to figure out a way to build one house a week. The first few homes obviously took a little longer and then we shut down our system,” LeBrun said.
“For the last 70 or 80 homes, we’ve been on target and on schedule. We’ve built an incredible team and have been building a home a week for two years.”
The houses are small, but equipped with a kitchen, full bathroom and living area.
Residents are only required to pay 30% of their income to live in a tiny house.
Although the latest home has been successfully placed in the community, more work needs to be done, including finishing the community center and cafe, as well as landscaping each property.
CHANGING LIVES
The 12 Vizinhos community has become a beacon of hope for its residents.
One of these residents is Melissa Armstrong, who, along with her husband, was the first to move to the Fredericton community.
They have lived in their first house in the community since February 2022. Before moving in, the pair lived in a tent for around 10 months.
This week, Armstrong is set to graduate from New Brunswick Community College, where he pursued his passion for cooking.
“A better life, a better future too, yes,” she said, crediting LeBrun and the 12 Neighbors program for giving her a second chance.
“It gives us hope for life, to start a new journey, to start a new chapter.”
The recent graduate has already secured a position in the cafe under construction at the 12 Neighbors facility, a key component of LeBrun’s initiative to provide residents with a purpose and source of pride.
MILLIONAIRE TO CHANGE
12 Neighbors was founded by LeBrun, a former computer engineer and software entrepreneur.
He sold his social media monitoring company in 2011 and has since invested around $13 million in building the charity.
LeBrun began building the first small house in his backyard.
Recently, while cleaning up construction materials with his son, he reflected on the project’s humble origins.
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“I was like, ‘Look, this is where it all started. It was really cool to be in that space and say, ‘This is where we built the first house,'” LeBrun said.
“I actually organized the community in my backyard with little stakes…saying ‘OK, is this distance good? How’s that going?'”
In other tiny house news, a new tiny home village has opened with 60 units — people say it’s a mini version of a local neighborhood.
Plus, check out the tiny home village from $1,400, with an on-site restaurant and an “epic display” of an iconic mountain range.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
