Infinity Village: Tennessee Church Erects Six ‘Micro’ Houses For Area Homeless Providing Shelter, Electricity

The Infinity Village at Green Street Church of Christ in Nashville, Tennessee, is the first of its kind in the city. The village contains six micro houses that are fully insulated and wired with electricity. The tiny village is part of a growing trend to provide safe housing solutions for homeless communities. Green Street Church of Christ says the tiny colorful homes were created not only to provide shelter to the homeless, but inspire others into action.

The Tennessean reports that Reverend Jeff Obafemi Carr came up with the idea for the tiny village while riding with an old college fraternity brother while on a mission trip in Haiti. Carr and friend Dwayne A. Jones discussed how they could possibly help those in need in their own community and the idea of the Infinity Village was born.

Though Carr and Jones had grand ideas for their tiny homeless community, they needed $15,000 to build their dream project. Carr did some fundraising and was disappointed when he only raised $150, $10 of which was from a homeless person. Therefore, he decided to do something that would garner attention. Carr had Jones erect a tiny “micro” home in the middle of the city and vowed to live in the tiny home by himself until he raised the $50,000 needed to build his village of six tiny homes which each cost $7,500 to build.

Carr would spend 45 days living in the tiny home until, finally, the $50,000 was raised and home were constructed. Carr says living in the tiny home was “quiet” but actually very comforting. He said he hopes his project will inspire others to change their attitudes about homelessness and to move on from “envisioning” to “acting.”

“The colorful cluster of homes here in our city represents the coordination of two congregations, underlining their attitudes about homelessness and how people should live. But it also makes a grander statement: Envisioning is good, but acting is vital.”

Carr says he could have spent months with committees and held endless meetings in a bid to earn the $50,000 for the project, but he said that would have taken longer ended with a lot of “envisioning” but not a lot of action. Just two months after stepping into the tiny micro home to live, Reverend Carr had created, with the help of two congregations and Jones, a village that the area homeless can actually call “home.”

What do you think of Reverend Carr’s vision for the homeless community? Could micro villages be the solution to homelessness as they have a safe place to live while they attempt to get themselves back on their feet?

[Image Credit: Infinity Fellowship]