Thanks to donations, We Care Community Services is ready to take the next steps in erecting a “micro transitional house” that will provide temporary housing for homeless people in Rhea County until they can support themselves.
The agency will hold a public meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday to discuss plans and talk with people who have volunteered materials and labor for the 168-square-foot home. The meeting will be in the conference room of We Care’s office at 1273 Dayton Mountain Highway.
The agency’s general manager, Alton Steen, said the drive to raise as much as $8,000 got a major financial lift on Thursday.
“We got a fairly substantial gift from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous,” Mr. Steen said. “We are excited.”
Mr. Steen said the agency is eager to complete the house, which comes with furnishings and includes a loft area for sleeping. The home, to be erected near We Care’s main office, can accommodate one or two people.
The work yet to be done includes grading, plumbing, sheetrock, insulation and flooring.
Mr. Steen said he hopes the agency can start working on a second home as soon the first one is completed. We Care plans to build more of these small homes and make the program self-sustaining by renting some of the structures to underwrite the cost of the others.