First Neb. micro housing community funded by low-income housing tax credits
By CINDY GONAZALEZ
Nebraska Examiner
Nebraska’s first modern-day tiny house village — soon to start sprouting in north downtown Omaha — is expected to do more than add affordable-rent dwellings to the trendy urban core.
The 50 stand-alone homes, each about 250 square feet, serve a humanitarian purpose: They’re to be occupied by former homeless people who have thrived in other shelter programs and who are ready to take the next step toward independence.
In addition, the $8.2 million project provides a training ground for students: Seven of the houses are being built by budding construction trades workers enrolled at Metropolitan Community College.
“We’re just really excited,” said Linda Twomey of the Siena Francis House, which will manage and own the residential development. “It’s innovative. It’s a huge neighborhood improvement. It’s going to provide a home — a place to grill out, to have plants and a dog.”
In the planning stages since 2018, “the Cottages” initiative officially breaks ground next week at a 2.4-acre former industrial site near 17th and Charles Streets.
‘Prototype project’
The gated village — with a community center, gardens, common laundry facilities and offices for on-site managers — is slated to open in 2023.
Financing comes primarily from the federal low-income housing tax credit program administered by the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority and earmarked for residents with special needs, such as the homeless population.
NIFA’s Shannon Harner said the Cottages is the state’s first tiny house community made possible with low-income tax credits. She anticipates that the project could pave the path for similar Nebraska ventures in the future.
“We’re hoping this is a prototype project,” Harner said.
While located only a half-block from the Siena Francis House campus — and therefore close to transportation, counseling and other shelter services — the Cottages are intended to create an independent lifestyle for previously homeless residents.
Twomey, executive director of Siena Francis shelters, said about 1,400 people on a given day experience homelessness in Omaha and Council Bluffs.
Bragging rights for students
Many who will be eligible and chosen to reside in the small houses likely will have found success in one of the more support-intensive Siena Francis programs and are ready for that next step out of chronic homelessness, she said.
An on-site case manager will be available to help connect residents to community or support services, including job or rental assistance. Twomey said residents will be responsible for rent and likely will qualify for government subsidies or vouchers where they pay 30% of their income for rent.
Each of the tiny houses will include a kitchen, bedroom-living area and covered porch.
Trevor Secora, an instructor at Metro’s Fort Omaha campus who is overseeing the students’ construction of seven of the tiny houses, said the Cottages developer, Arch Icon, provides materials, and the students assemble the shell to be transported to the site after completion.
It’s a win-win situation, he said, that offers hands-on and practical training for young construction workers, who will be able to drive by afterward with family and friends and showcase their work.
“These are real-world projects that are going to be delivered back to the community,” said Secora, a member of Metro’s Construction and Building Science faculty.
Students stepping up their game
He said the students are putting in an extra effort, knowing that the structures will actually be used instead of torn down after completion, as some other practice projects are.
“So their effort and craftsmanship is going to be stepped up a bit,” he said.
Clearing the north downtown site for the Cottages also helped clean up Kellom Greenbelt Park and some other rough spots, Twomey said.
City officials have said the development should provide a boost to the geographical pocket and perhaps lure more private investment to the area, which is not far from the trendy and growing Millwork Commons neighborhood.
Darin Smith of developer Arch Icon said his company has done numerous affordable and other housing projects, but the Cottages is his team’s first to focus on the homeless population.
Other partners include the City of Omaha, Midwest Housing Equity Group, Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture and American National Bank.
“It’s kind of cool, the way we’ve worked with Metro Community College, Siena Francis and other partners to bring it all together,” Smith said. “We can’t wait to see the finished project and the benefits to the community.”