Medford Charity Drive To Deliver Tiny Houses to Homeless Seniors In Jackson County

MEDFORD, Ore. — The first model tiny home, showcasing many tiny houses planned, has been purchased by the Joy Community, a feature of Set Free Services. The initiative seeks to deliver affordable senior housing to the older homeless population in Jackson County.

Set Free Services Featuring Joy Community Tiny Home Initiative

Set Free Services (SFS), a community non-profit that creates and oversees community projects to service the homeless and working poor operates under historical teachings, including the Bible, and works with other community organizations, foundations, and supporters, as well as other faith-based organizations. The organization’s founding principles are diversion, equity, and inclusion in the community, including faith.

Funded by the generosity of individuals, churches, and businesses in the community who provide food, clothing, and personal toiletry items to share with SFS beneficiaries, their Joy Community is currently running an initiative focused on housing aged homeless people.

Chad McComas of Joy Community said that while HUD housing does a great job, the wait for housing in Jackson County is currently five years. He wants people to be helped now and said, “If you have a 90-year-old person that doesn’t have a place to live and they sign up for HUD, can they wait five years to get that apartment? I don’t think so.”

Joy Community Project To Roll Out Individual Units To Aged Homeless Over Two Phases

Addressing the issue of older people facing homelessness, one aspect of the housing crisis, Joy Community plans to roll out the project in two phases. They are working with the City of Medford for approval on a property within city limits to establish a fenced-in community to get unhoused seniors into a safe and affordable home. The first phase will see ten individual sleeping units and a communal bathroom and kitchen space built.

Of the estimated $500,000 cost of phase one, Joy Community has raised $170,000 so far through donations mainly contributed by widows and widowers. McCormas said that these sponsors are grateful to be in a home and understand that they could have been in the streets.

In phase two, larger units are planned for the expansion of a tiny home community. These tiny homes would have their own kitchenette and bathroom comparable to the units in Mobile Loaves & Fishes, a similar type of neighborhood in Austin, Texas. McCormas said they are stepping up to do this because while a younger person can get a job, a senior can’t. They have very few options.

The tiny house model bought by the organization will be showcased throughout Jackson County and Joy Community hopes to raise funds to develop the initiative further. Details of the initiative and ways to contribute can be found on the Set Free Services website.