Today’s Solutions: March 28, 2024

Without a stable place to call home, addressing the problems that homeless people often face such as mental illness or drug addiction becomes incredibly challenging. That’s why a nonprofit in Detroit has created a radical experiment that gives the most disadvantaged populations an opportunity to have their own home. For just $1 per square foot, people who are unhoused, people with disabilities, youth aging out of foster care, veterans, or those formerly incarcerated gain new accessibility to home ownership. The organization behind the experiment is Cass Community Social Services, an independent nonprofit that borrows some elements from the “Housing First” model, a term applied to programs that provide stable housing before addressing the issues that tend to accompany homelessness. With that said, the program doesn’t provide homes to just anyone. To be eligible, applicants need to have an income between $7,000 and $12,000 per year, the ability to pay rent and electric bills, meet regularly with financial coaches, and volunteer at least eight hours a month in the community. Some residents may have criminal records, but the program focuses on the inclusion of those unlikely to fall into recidivism. What makes the program especially innovative is that after seven years, the tiny home and the land on which it rests are deeded to the resident, mortgage-free. For many making that transition, it’s the first time they’ve ever owned a home. For other American cities looking for ways to solve homelessness, this experiment could very well provide a blueprint to follow.

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