FULFILLING BIG DREAMS WITH TINY HOMES

Meet Some of our Tiny Home Grantees

In today's housing market, the monthly loan payment for a tiny home can be a viable option for many seeking affordable housing. However, the initial cost can still be a daunting barrier for some. While we are currently not accepting new applications for our Down Payment Assistance Grant Program, we are proud to share the stories of those who have benefited from this initiative. Our program has enabled individuals in need of stable housing to purchase professionally built, custom tiny homes tailored to their unique lifestyle needs at an affordable price. By providing right-sized, efficient housing solutions, we are redefining affordable housing and making homeownership more accessible, especially for underserved communities often priced out of the traditional housing market.

Meet the bond family

Not long after the birth of their first child, in 2021, the Bond Family experienced an unexpected loss of income after Chapin Bond was laid off as an Engineer due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The loss of stable income and the uncertainty of life with a new child during a global Pandemic turned their lives upside down. They made the difficult decision to sell their home and move into a much smaller rental apartment. Through the process of downsizing and simplifying their life, they discovered something unexpected and beautiful. By significantly reducing their expenses, they experienced less financial stress and no longer needed a second income to cover living expenses. The financial freedom also allowed them to have a parent at home full-time with their son and experienced first-hand that joy doesn't come from owning a big house but from having the time and financial freedom to spend more quality time as a family. They were hooked and started on their journey to tiny home living. With the support of our match grant, they are now one step closer to reaching their goal of living debt-free while also being homeowners.

A family member offered a permanent place to park on their property, and they now own what they call their 'forever home' from Minimiliste Tiny Homes. They believe that living tiny is a lifestyle choice that will provide them with abundance and a true kind of wealth, and they are so excited for this new chapter.

Lindsay Bond has been on active duty military since 2009 with the Vermont National Guard and currently works as a Unit Deployment Manager. She served as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Africa during her service, trained to be a maintenance analyst for F16s, and was deployed to combat service in Kuwait and served in 2016 and 2017. She is grateful that she can continue to serve her country during this time.

MEET The Farrell Family

Matthew Farrell, a former Navy pilot, and his wife, Tina, a stay-at-home mom, have five children — three that they adopted.

In 2013, Matthew was diagnosed with fungal meningitis of the brain while active duty. After surviving that experience, he and his wife became aware of how blessed they are, and "no matter what life can throw at you, you still have something to give." Soon after, the Farrells joined an 18-month pilot program to adopt orphaned children from the Central African Republic. They were only the second Americans to adopt. Initially, they planned to adopt one child but decided to adopt siblings and then once in Africa decided on three.

In 2017, their family moved from Iowa to Beaumont, Texas, and one month later, their home flooded - 3 ft of water from Hurricane Harvey. Insurance paid for repairs, but not long after the "emotional rollercoaster" of living in a dismal environment while trying to find honest contractors to finalize their home repairs, they found themselves hit with Tropical Storm Imelda in 2019, which put their home 5ft underwater. To their dismay, after Imelda hit, their insurance company deemed their home no longer compliant due to new local zoning laws put in place after Harvey. The home needed to be demolished and rebuilt, but without insurance funding available and a mortgage still outstanding on the house, the family was forced to reside in what many would deem unlivable conditions. The family of 7 share space between a converted detached garage and an old RV parked in the driveway. Tina cooks family dinner on a hot plate, and they have one bathroom to share between them.

With three of their kids planning on leaving soon for college and two in high school and not far behind, Matthew and Tina dream of a tiny home built on wheels to give them the comforts and freedom to move to higher land in case of future threats of flooding.

With the support of our down payment assistance grant, the Farrell Family was able to purchase their tiny dream home! A 32’ custom-built home to fit exactly what they need, including a full-sized kitchen and a bedroom large enough for a king size bed!

Meet the Farrell Family, Episode 4 | Project Tiny Home

MEET LEXI

A social worker and mother of three adopted daughters, Lexi has a long history of social service and is the kind of person that donated a kidney four years ago to save a friend's life. In November 2018, Lexi and her family lost their home in the Camp Fire that nearly leveled Paradise, CA. Since losing their family home and most all their worldly possessions, life has been a continual struggle to regain stability. But for Lexi, she used the experience as a time to reevaluate what was important. She found her purpose by moving her family to India to help run an orphanage for twenty-three young daughters of sex trade workers. Their mission was to provide these young girls with the possibility of a future beyond the red light district. She became 'mother' to these young girls and was devastated when the government denied her visa renewal. Returning to the US in July 2019, with the support of a friend's generosity, she moved into an old RV. The conditions were less than ideal and without adequate plumbing, but she was grateful for the temporary comfort of shelter for her and her daughter while awaiting the insurance payout that would allow her family to begin rebuilding their life again. She made ends meet by working as a Preschool School Teachers Assistant and Special Event Coordinator until her ability to work was impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic. She found herself once again struggling with the impacts of another life-altering disaster.

Lexi's love for minimalistic living and desire to live with the peace-of-mind and freedom that comes with having the mobility of wheels, made tiny house living her perfect affordable housing solution. With the support of our down payment assistant grant, she was able to work with her builder to design her perfect 'forever' home.

Meet Lexi, Episode 3 | Project Tiny Home

MEET Alonzo and Jakina

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Alonzo Edwards lost his income as an event videographer. Unexpectedly he and his wife Jakina found themselves living with a monthly rent that was now unaffordable. With social distancing and limited group events being the new normal for public safety, there were no job opportunities in sight as an event videographer. The Edwards family struggled to make ends meet, forcing them to make the difficult decision to give up their apartment. They lived in temporary housing as a way to keep expenses as low as possible and save money. After completing a housing first educational program, they learned how to make decisions that will better prepare them for the unexpected in the future. They decided to look for a long term housing solution that would keep expenses low and fit their desire to live a minimalistic lifestyle to create security and freedom. They wanted something that would allow them to build the financial wealth that would allow them to one day fulfill their dream to travel. They were excited to discover that tiny home living is their perfect affordable housing solution!

Meet Ida

As a navy corpsman that served in Kuwait, Ida returned to civilian life with health issues and the struggle of living with PTSD. Living and working in the medical industry in San Francisco during the COVID-19 Pandemic has added additional stress and finding secure, affordable housing was nearly impossible; she longed for a safe and stable home of refuge to call her own.

During her service, Ida had become accustomed to living in small and organized spaces, and the freedom that comes with a minimalistic lifestyle is what she desired.

Being able to purchase a tiny home of her own is a dream come true. She is excited to finally have the stability to support her healing and the comforts of a place to call home for her and her babies - a black lab pit mix and terrier chihuahua.

Meet Rhonda

Rhonda is an elementary school art teacher from Florida who had a dream of owning her own home. Struggling with health issues and the costly expense of daily medications had her questioning what she really needed to live comfortably. A custom-built tiny home provided her an affordable and secure solution as she moves forward on her path to healing.

Meet Maddie

We know it’s not always comfortable to ask for assistance, and for Maddie, a proud active duty member of our military, this was especially true. After losing her best friend to suicide resulting from her struggle with service-related PTSD, Maddie enlisted in her honor and has dedicated her life to serving our country.

Her long-time dream has been to purchase a tiny home so that she and her German Shepherd can have a home to call their own. Maddie worked hard to save up a down payment, and with the support of Operation Tiny Home’s Down Payment Grant, her dreams have become a reality much sooner than she expected.

Maddie plans to pay this gift forward one day so that someone else has the opportunity to realize their dream of homeownership as well!

We thank you for your service Maddie and wish you much happiness in your new home.

Meet The Inniss Family

Forced from their home following Hurricane Irma, Kevin and Shanice lived in a converted van on the Patrick Air Force Base, away from their three-year-old daughter. Van life allowed these high school sweethearts to save enough funds to purchase a tiny home. This lifestyle choice also enabled them to have the flexibility and freedom to move as a military family while maintaining the stability of always having their home with them. It was deeply touching to see these loving parents reunited with their 3-year-old daughter. Our down payment assistance grant made homeownership possible much sooner for this young military family.

We teamed up with our partners at Sutter home to create Episode 1 of the Project Tiny Home Series. For in-depth interviews, an up-close tour of the Inniss families new home, and a glimpse into their daily life, watch their story unfold as they set out on their next adventures as a family.

Inniss Family, Episode 1 | Project Tiny Home

Meet sam

After her father passed away, Sam decided to become a nurse. She married her love for travel with her passion for nursing and decided to purchase a tiny home to support her life on the road. Our match grant made homeownership possible much sooner for this young traveling nurse. We’re grateful to know and give back to nurses like Sam Koerner. Thank you for your heroic service during this unprecedented time of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

We teamed up again with our partners at Sutter home to create Episode 2 of the Project Tiny Home Series. How do we thank a traveling nurse for her fearless service and selfless sacrifice? Find out and watch Sam's story unfold to see how this traveling nurse is never too far from home.

Sam, Episode 2 | Project Tiny Home