Mel Trotter Ministries receives $944K grant from the state for 'tiny homes' project

GRAND RAAPIDS, Mich. — A nonprofit in West Michigan is looking to create support for people experiencing homelessness through its "tiny homes" project.

Mel Trotter Ministries has been helping people experiencing homelessness for more than 100 years.

"We house and feed anywhere from 300 people in the summer to 800 people in the winter," said Gordon Oosting, chief financial officer for Mel Trotter. "We're trying to assist up people who are experiencing homelessness for many different reasons."

Now thanks to a $944,000 grant from the Michigan State Housing Department Authority (MSHDA), they will be able to fund a portion of this project.

Along with its subsidiary Next Step West Michigan, the nonprofits will bring the tiny project to the area.

"We will be putting in 16 tiny homes," Oosting said. "We received grant approval from MSHDA for the first eight of those tiny homes."

The homes will range from 400- to 530-square-foot buildings that will feature in-unit washers, dryers, bathrooms and more. The buildings are going to be made by the nonprofit as well.

"We have a manufacturing facility that's adjacent here," Oosting said. "We'll do the paneling and the walls and the roofs and everything inside. In the spring, we will carry them across the street and put them together."

The city of Grand Rapids has worked hand in hand with the nonprofits throughout these efforts, creating specific zoning plans for the nonprofit's lot to accommodate the homes, as well as covering part of the rent.

Individuals who rent through a select number of tiny homes will pay up to 30% of their income, with the city making up the difference.

The tenants are also going to be under a different set of rules.

With some requirements having gone through the training program with Next Steps or Mel Trotter, it takes people with past felonies or those experiencing homelessness within the last three years and provides training through the woodwork, allowing individuals to receive jobs.

The idea of someone who was experiencing homelessness shouldn't deter people.

"They're people who have had maybe different challenges and struggles than you and I have had," said Michele McIsaac, chief strategy officer for Mel Trotter. "Or maybe others who are in the neighborhood, but we've all had a hard time."

Residents like Tom Hoeksema have used the individuals in the Next Steps training program and sees no issues with the tiny homes project, especially in this economy.

"There's always kind of that 'not in my backyard' idea, but everybody needs a second chance, you know, so I certainly don't have a problem with [it]," Hoeksema said. "Obviously housing costs are extremely high. So yeah, there's a huge need for affordable housing and to try to help folks moving into more permanent housing."

Mel Trotter expects to break ground on the tiny homes project within the coming days, with eight of them expected to be finished by the end of 2025. The rest will be finished by the spring of 2026.