When you are talking about tiny houses, every decision matters. There’s literally no room for error when you have just 240 square feet of living space.

That’s why there’s a covered front porch in front of every one of the 60 newly built tiny homes that make up The Grove at Correll Commons, a housing development for unsheltered people. The folks behind the development want to foster a sense of community there, and where better to start than a front porch in a complex where the homes face one another?

“We are a nonprofit that is going to house chronically homeless individuals that have been in Glynn County the longest,” said Anne Stembler, founder of Hand in Hand of Glynn, the faith-based nonprofit behind the tiny homes. “We are a permanent, affordable tiny house project.”

Note the word “permanent.” Once residents move in, as long as they follow the rules and pay their portion of the rent, they can say as long as they like. “We feel very strongly that this is permanent housing. A lot of these people have been on the street for a long time, and we do not personally think transitional housing is the answer for them,” Stembler says.

Along with housing, wraparound services such as classrooms, a food pantry and a medical clinic will be offered.

The complex is named in honor of Pete Correll, former president, CEO and chair of Georgia-Pacific Corp. Correll, who died in 2021, was a Brunswick native and a supporter of Hand in Hand of Glynn.

“We are a totally gated community, both for the health of our residents as well as to protect them from predators, because there are a lot of predators that prey on homeless people,” said Linda Heagy, Hand in Hand’s treasurer. “Obviously, a resident can come and go as they want but others have to show ID.”

To qualify, a potential resident must be at least 24 years old, unmarried and have been homeless for a year in Glynn County, or for a total of a year out of the past three. Rent is set at a third of whatever income the resident receives, such as a Social Security check. Others may get vouchers from the Brunswick Housing Authority, and organizers are setting up “scholarship funds” for those who cannot pay.

Heagy says they are filling the houses about eight at a time, intent on community building and making sure the experience goes well for the residents. The first tenants will likely move in this month and she expects the complex to be fully occupied by the end of the year.

This article appears in the June 2023 issue of Georgia Trend. https://www.georgiatrend.com/2023/05/26/revitalization-in-bloom/