MARION, Ohio — A project three years in the making finally came to fruition in Marion Sunday afternoon.
The goal of the tiny home project is to help unhoused people find a place to call home.
“We're helping somebody start a new life,” said Bishop Corredon Rogers of New Hope Baptist Church.
A warm place to call home on a chilly January Sunday is something Brenda Hart has been living without.
“I was having my own struggles and battles, and I became an alcoholic,” Hart said.
Having struggled with addiction, Hart said she lost custody of her 13-year-old son when she went to rehab. Her son has been her motivation to get sober as she’s received support from the Heart of Ohio homeless shelter.
“They pushed me and they believed in me when I didn't believe in myself,” Hart said.
It all led to a ribbon-cutting Sunday afternoon to celebrate her very own place to call home, thanks to the efforts of the Hands of Hope Housing Project, led by Bishop Rogers.
“It's kinda surreal right now so I'm just kinda taking it in,” Rogers said.
The idea is to create tiny homes to be used as transitional housing. Residents can stay for about six months while they find a more permanent option.
Rogers said there were obstacles along the way, but they persevered.
“We never lost focus of what we were doing and why we were doing it,” Rogers said.
Housing is just the beginning of the support this project provides. Rogers also designed a program to provide resources for mental health, financial literacy, job skills and more.
When Rogers approached Devin Durain, executive director of the Heart of Ohio Homeless Shelter, about the first home being ready for someone to move in, he knew Hart would be the perfect fit.
“We saw everything she was doing, had been working hard to prove to herself that she can do it, and so it was just the right opportunity and the right time,” Durain said.
Hart, now seven months sober and in permanent housing, said her next goal is to get her son back.
“It'll mean everything in the world to me because I miss him and he needs to be with me,” Hart said.
The tiny home unveiled Sunday is only the beginning for the Hands of Hope Housing Project. Bishop Rogers said they have a two-bedroom home they’re currently renovating for a family, as well as plans for construction to start on another tiny home late next summer.