A local nonprofit that will provide tiny homes for young people transitioning out of foster care will soon be pouring concrete and framing six homes, thanks to a hefty boost in pandemic-related funding.
I Am You 360 was started in late 2013 by Desiree Cook. During its first several years, the group's primary focus was providing bags filled with full-size hygiene products customized and prepared for local youths in foster care.
The nonprofit grew exponentially in the years since, providing participants with life skills training, paid mentorships and affordable temporary housing.
The next step and Cook's longtime dream is a village of 10 eco-friendly tiny homes for 18- to 22-year-olds who have been through the foster care system.
The homes will provide residents with a safe place to live while also helping them build equity.
Small Home Experience participants will be required to work, receive an education and participate in community service. They'll pay $1 per square foot in rent on the 450-square-foot home, a portion of which will be put into a savings account that the person can later use toward a downpayment on a home of their own. Residents are expected to stay in the homes for two to three years.
Cook's dream is now months away from becoming a reality, with I Am You 360's recent receipt of one of Tucson's American Rescue Plan Act grants worth nearly $480,000. The grant money will fund five houses and part of a sixth, with OneAZ Credit Union stepping in to provide the rest of the money.
"Materials have been ordered, concrete and all the other things. We are going to start pouring concrete, framing and building," Cook said Thursday during an event on Facebook Live. "With the community's fundraising and donations and with the capital that was raised, we were able to lay sewer lines, electrical lines and have many inspections. There's so much behind the scenes to get where we're at now."
With the six homes expected to be move-in ready by September, barring any issues, Cook is now working to fundraise for construction of the final four homes, while she's also working to raise money for furnitures, sheets, appliances and a year's worth of groceries for residents. She's hoping community members will consider adopting a home, saying that I Am You 360 would be honored to put the names of donors on the homes they help to build.
The tiny home village will include houses for nine residents and a 10th building that will serve as a community center. The site will be landscaped and eco-friendly, with solar panels, water harvesting and a community garden.
"Everybody wins with this project," Cook said. "The community is investing in the kids and people (who invest) can drive by and see, 'Hey, I helped build that tiny home.'"
In March, I Am You 360 hosted Mayor Regina Romero, Pima County Attorney Laura Conover, Tucson Police Department officials, partners and community members for a groundbreaking ceremony. With a DJ, breakfast food, speakers and singers, the event also served as a celebration of the work that's been done and that's still to come.
"This is systems changing; this is breaking intergenerational poverty," TPD Assistant Chief Kevin Hall said during the event.
With backhoes and bobcats roaring away in the background during the event, the tangible signs of progress were impossible to miss.
Romero said Cook doesn't wait for other people to find solutions to the problems she wants addressed, calling her an asset and resource to the community.
"I believe that what I Am You 360 is doing is targeting the root causes of poverty, generational poverty and finding solutions," Romero said. "And adding a layered approach with the city of Tucson, the Tucson Police Department and with nonprofit organizations that deal with behavioral and mental health issues."
Romero called the community's investment in I Am You 360 an investment in people that many times are left behind by the system.
"The people that you've decided to focus on is an incredible investment on our future," Romero said. "We've got to lift each other up and help each other reach our goals."
