(PHOTO: An example of a tiny homes community in Michigan. Not actual photo of homes planned for Clarion. Courtesy CASS Community.)

“We’re working with Clarion County Human Services to build three of the tiny homes on a lot,” Christopher Lunn, of Nonprofit Development, Inc., in Butler, told exploreClarion.com. “We’re sort of aiming at people with housing needs who may be homeless, people who may have intellectual disabilities, or people with mental health needs. Those are the people who we will primarily be focusing on.”

The Clarion County Planning Commission granted preliminary approval at a meeting last week. The commission also granted relief from the 40-foot setback requirement. The lot only has a width of 80.09 feet, making it impossible to build and meet the setback requirements.

Each tiny house will be 7.25 x 24.33 feet and include a porch and two parking spaces. A new 18-foot-wide gravel alley will provide access from Grand Avenue Extension.

“They would be living independently there, and no supervision will be needed,” Lunn said. “These people would be higher functioning and probably more on the lower income scale and need affordable housing.

“Currently we’re looking for the rent to be paid through Clarion County Human Services and bridge funding that would cover the rent and after that period, the individual would be responsible for their rent.”

Lunn said anyone interested could contact the Clarion Center for Community Resources (CCR) base unit at 814-226-1080, located in Suite 110 of the Clarion County Human Services Building on Seventh Avenue.

CCR, headquartered in Butler, contracts with Clarion County to provide some mental health services and is a sister company of Nonprofit Development, Inc.

“We just got the plan approved, and we will be spending the summer working on the stormwater management and stuff like that. We’re really hoping that within the next year the units will essentially be built and occupied.

“This is the first time we will be doing a project like this. We partner with the Butler County Vo-tech, and we built a prototype of a tiny home. We give them a project to do every year, and it was good that we built that prototype—because we realized that we needed to make it a little bigger scale, so it’s a little more comfortable to live in. We hope we will be able to spread this not only just in Clarion County, but also surrounding counties.”

Nonprofit Development Corporation also has another sister company in Butler, Community Builders Group.

“Community Builders is our construction piece and is a licensed general contractor doing work for low-income individuals and nonprofits. CCR is a partner organization, and Mike Robb and I run both, but they have separate boards of directors and separate missions.”

Nonprofit Development Corporation (NDC) supports individuals, nonprofit organizations, and government entities to obtain technical assistance, affordable space, supported employment, and funding opportunities. The Mission of Center for Community Resources is to make a positive difference in everyday lives by connecting people to a network of supports and services essential for actively learning, working and living in the community.