Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation (SNGRDC) have announced that it's Tiny Home Project has moved past the pilot phase and now the organization is finalizing the next phase, including the logistical process for placing an order and the construction timeline of the homes.

SNGRDC CEO, Matt Jamieson spoke on the interest that the project has garnered within the community, saying that over one hundred people are interested in buying a home.

Jamieson says SNGRDC have weighed its options and determined the project would move passed its pilot phase after determining that they could put this project together at a price point and assure a quality of the tiny homes that SNGRDC and the community are happy with. "We spent a lot of time really looking at our ability to execute," he said.

"Our plan to move forward is really based on our ability to go back and validate the pricing of these models so that we know that we can do them at the price that we say and at the quality that we want to achieve, and at the same time we've also had to assess the ability to scale production so we know what's within the realm of possibility. We don't want to over-promise and under-deliver."

He says that the Tiny Homes project will offer an affordable housing solution for community members. "We know that there are a number of community members that don't qualify for the full housing loan amount, we know that construction costs have been all over the place," he said. "People want homes but they want an affordable housing solution."

The project consists of 2 tiny home models that community members can choose from -- a 480 square foot, 1-bedroom model; or a 960 square foot, 3-bedroom model. SNGRDC will provide the community members access to the affordable housing options, but it will be the owners responsibility to provide the land, and utility services that include water, hydro and sewage systems.

Jamieson says that they currently have an interest list of over 100 community members, and the organization will now begin talks with those individuals to gauge the readiness of each individual and those who indicate they are financially ready and have a site determined will be prioritized.

"Site readiness is key, people have to have land, they have to have land that can house the structure, they have to decide want kind of foundation they want, whether they want a full basement or they just want a slab on grade foundation type. They need to think about the driveway, their hydro connection, water/wastewater solutions," he said. "Those types of discussions people need to think about and be part of their overall planning before they sit down and make a purchase."

He says currently he believes 10 units can be constructed concurrently based on the space in Oneida Business Park where the homes will be constructed. He explained that SNGRDC believes that once the project is underway they can enhance the number of units constructed at the same time but will have a better understanding as the project moves along.

He says this project fits the needs here on Six Nations and will help provide a housing option not currently available in the community. "I know that there's just a tremendous need for housing," he said.

"We've done this because there's a void in the market, it's a product that doesn't exist and we did look at other vendors out there who do provide these tiny homes and we believe that our model of costing and quality really fits the need of our community."

Jamieson says that SNGRDC hope to have deliveries of the tiny homes be made to purchasers in the Spring of 2024.

Interested community members can find more information on the Tiny Homes project here.

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