Has Corpus Christi found a tiny solution to a big problem?
“This is a great opportunity for Corpus Christi to shine,” said Pastor Adam Carrington of Brooks AME Worship Center.
Last week, the city council heard a presentation on the ‘Community First!’ village in Austin. Under the pilot program, the chronically homeless were provided tiny homes.
“We hope that we can do that very same thing here in Corpus Christi,” said Paulette Kluge, CEO of the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Local advocates applaud the idea.
“Anything is better than nothing,” said Carrington. “I’ve had a chance to look at tiny homes or shelters around the United States, and those programs are working fine.”
The city wants to build a similar community here, and they’ve found a perfect partner in the SkillsUSA state competition. This weekend, thousands of students compete in various categories including carpentry, where competitors build tiny homes. Normally those houses are destroyed after the competition, but not this year.
“They modified the way they’re building these tiny homes so we can use them for the homeless in Corpus Christi,” said Kluge.
“Anytime you get the children involved, they get to see their work being used to help a real situation we have here in Corpus, and probably around the world,” added Carrington.
The city council still hasn’t signed off on the project, but some believe it’s just a matter of time.
“We’re still working with the city to find out the location of where these tiny homes will go,” said Kluge. There’s still some pieces that have to be worked out, but I think we’re getting very close.
The city council asked for another update in June. In the meantime, the tiny homes will go into storage, hopefully not for long.
