Homeless advocacy group Settled near its goal of building a new tiny home

In a back lot of Colonial Church of Edina, they’ve been sawing, hammering and measuring for six days now.

"It feels really amazing to see another home get built,” said Gabrielle Clowdus, the co-founder of homeless advocacy group Settled. “There’s so much research and sweat and tears and blood and love, just so much behind this model.”

Starting off with piles of two-by-fours and plywood boards, volunteers with the group have labored, day by day, to build a new tiny home.

“From 8 o’clock in the morning to 5 o’clock at night,” said Dave Pinske, a fourth generation builder who’s helping to supervise the project. “Certainly I wish we would have gotten a little bit farther, but we’re so blessed we got six perfect days of weather.”

Since late June, volunteers have been collecting materials to build the compact home.

About 20 feet long and 10 feet wide, the home resembles a fish house with wheels.

“All the people that built this is also a very good feeling,” says Pete Welch.

Now retired after 40 years in the building trade, he’s feeling a sense of poignancy about this latest project.

Thinking about the death of George Floyd in police custody — and everything that came afterward.

“It hit close to home,” he said. “I grew up in the neighborhood near 38th [Street] and Chicago [Avenue]. My daughter attended some of the functions right after that.”

That’s because among the raw materials of this new home are plywood boards used to protect buildings during the riots.

“It wasn’t damaged but a few screw holes, so we had perfect plywood to use on this job,” Pinske explains.

Making something old, new again — with a purpose.

“What was put up in fear and anxiety that our city was being destroyed and burned down, is now meant to be used to protect the most vulnerable,” Clowdus explains.

A completed prototype is parked outside Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul.

The tiny homes live up to their name — only about 100 square feet. But when completed, they are equipped with bathroom facilities, storage drawers, and a sleeping area.

Most importantly, they’re a way to stay safe and out of the cold.

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More from KSTP.com:

Local nonprofit Settled near completion on first of 5 planned tiny homes for ‘sacred settlement’

Plywood installed during riots now being used to build tiny homes

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“I’ve done hundreds of listening sessions with people experiencing long term homelessness,” Clowdus says. “The number one thing I hear is, I just want a lock and a door. Just want to feel safe.”

The homes cost about $25,000 to build.

Settled hopes to complete five of the homes by October and put them on display at Woodland Hills Church as a way of introducing them to the community.

“So we can bring elected officials and church leaders,” Clowdus said. “So to invite people into this model, so we reduce the fear of who the homeless are, and what kind of neighborhood they’re going to be.”

For now, volunteers are taking a Sunday respite.

Welch thinks they have about five more days to go before finishing this latest home.

But in the big picture, homelessness remains a major challenge in Minnesota.

The latest Wilder Foundation study, published in 2018, found on any given night, nearly 20,000 Minnesotans are without a roof over their heads.

The study says about 1100 people are chronically homeless in the metro.

“Now is the chance to build several other homes to cluster around that home, so that people can see that this is what a ‘sacred settlement’ looks like,” Clowdus says. “This is how a well-managed community of tiny homes will be.”

Both Welch and Pinske say they’re grateful to be able to help.

“The repurposing of that material, it’s a natural, it’s a good thing,” Welch says. “That’s humbling and I’m also thrilled.”

“Basically, we’re very busy keeping all of our volunteers busy,” Pinske adds. “Yeah, we’ll get It done soon. Looking forward to that.”