CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati nonprofit is turning a vacant church lot into a community of tiny homes designed to give homeless veterans a permanent place to land — and a path forward.
Tiny Homes for Humanity is building 14 tiny homes on the back lot of Madisonville's Gaines United Methodist Church, organized around a shared village green. The project, called a "veterans village," will pair affordable housing with wraparound services covering physical and mental health, recovery and job skills.
Earl Crossland, president of Tiny Homes for Humanity, spent his career as an architect designing large buildings and schools, including Taft and Mason high schools. But his latest project takes a different approach.
"We're not just building homes, we're trying to rebuild lives," Crossland said.
He said the idea grew out of extensive community research. The nonprofit talked to over 30 community leaders and CEOs dealing with veterans and homelessness.
"They've kept telling us that what is really needed is a permanent supportive community," Crossland said.
WATCH: How this nonprofit is turning a vacant church lot into a village of tiny homes
The church connection came through a personal referral.
"They said that they were interested in developing their vacant land for affordable housing. My pastor said, 'You need to talk to Earl,' and we very quickly came up with a plan," Crossland said.
The model is designed to create lasting impact beyond any single resident.
"With this project, they can stay here as long as they need to, but they will be encouraged to improve their lives and move on so that they make room for other people, so that this project has a recurring impact," Crossland said.
Crossland's background also includes years of working with homeless families through Interfaith Hospitality Network.
"For years, my wife and I have served homeless families through Interfaith Hospitality Network, where they stay at a church for a week," Crossland said. He told us he sees the veterans village as a replicable model.
"This is going to be a model for not only how churches and nonprofits can work together, but just a model in general of how can you develop tiny homes, what do they look like? We expect there's going to be a number more spawned from this project," Crossland said.
The Hamilton County Veterans Service Commission is among the project's backers, contributing a $20,000 donation. Glenn Welling, executive director of the commission, said the project aligns directly with the organization's mission.
"We're very excited about it. One of our three pillars is providing temporary financial assistance to veterans who are in need, and one of those things is helping with rent and mortgage, utilities, hygiene, that type of thing. So this really fit within our category of emergency financial assistance," Welling said.
Welling said the commission is committed to reaching veterans wherever they are, and he views the project as an opportunity to do that.
He said that outreach efforts like this one help spread awareness of available services.
"We often say that we can't help people if they don't know about us, and so doing all these outreach activities and opportunities just like this to tell the story of the Veterans Service Commission and all the services that we provide for veterans here in Hamilton County," Welling said.
As of the end of May, Tiny Homes for Humanity had raised more than $500,000 of the $750,000 needed to unlock a $1 million grant from Hamilton County. Crossland said he is confident the organization will reach that goal by June 30.
Construction is expected to begin near the end of the year, with completion targeted for July 2028.
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