A small group of local business representatives gathered at the Whitsunday Housing Company earlier this week to discuss how they will contribute towards building four tiny homes for homeless women over 55 in Proserpine.
This meeting brought together some of the inspiring businesses which have decided to step forward and offer their skills and supplies to the Tiny Homes Project.
The project is being run by local charity Whitsunday Housing Company and over the last 14 months it has raised just under $700,000 to construct the homes.
An initiative of several local women who have all put their energy and effort into getting this development off the ground, the Tiny Homes Project is an entirely locally driven campaign which is now close to fruition.
And thanks to the kindness of a number of local businesses, the costs of the project have decreased, enabling any additional money to be ploughed into extra housing.
It is planned that by June this year, the Tiny Homes Project will have broken ground and four modular homes will start to take shape.
Development Approval will be sought from the Whitsunday Regional Council over the next few weeks, after which the soon to be donated land in Proserpine will be signed over to Whitsunday Housing Company.
From here Mark Thompson and Joanne Moynihan will oversee the next stage of the project.
“This landmark moment has been made possible with the help of a variety of grants, a sea of fundraising events, business sponsorships and partnering with local events such as the Mayor’s Ball” Fundraising Coordinator Sandy Clark said.
“I don’t think people realise how many folks there are living in cars but once you start getting involved with this sort of project, you get a bit of a fright,” said Anthony Wensley Manager from Stratco in Proserpine.
“This is a great initiative and wonderful to see locals supporting locals.”
“It’s a charity that is not government run, so let’s get behind it and help them!” said Ross Hammond from Hayman Electrical.
Narelle Stewart from Whitsunday Marble and Granite has been part of the project since inception and says the more people who get involved, the better it would be.
“It’s a fantastic project and the more locals get to know about it the more people will want to help,” she explained.
“There will be retired builders and contractors who might like to come in at the building stage to help out – I’m sure everyone would be welcome.”
If you are a tradesperson and would like to contribute your expertise or if you are a small business who would like to donate some supplies, please reach out to The Tiny Homes Project.
This is a direct, locally driven response to the housing crisis in the region and, together with the Whitsunday Housing Company, there are more plans to implement similar projects in different areas.
The Tiny Homes Project would like to sincerely thank everyone who has been involved with the project so far, big and small businesses, every donation has been appreciated.
Caption: Some of the many businesses involved in the project. Luke Eacersall from Bunnings, Tim Gable from Woodman Group, Narelle Stewart from Whitsunday Marble and Granite, volunteer Fiona Donnellan, Joanne Moynihan from The Whitsunday Housing Company, volunteer Sandy Clark, volunteer, Shirley Lethlean, Ben Storer from Stratco (seated), Ross Hammond from Haymans Electrical, Anthony Wensley from Stratco and Dannii Gibson from Beaumont Tiles.
