Tiny House Community
New Beginnings is pleased to announce that work has begin on our next project -- cleanup of a longtime eyesore in north Houston, with plans to develop a tiny house community!
The property, a Sigmor Gas Station until 1978, was abandoned due to leaking gas tanks. Over the years it has passed from owner to owner for almost nothing. Private appraisals found the property to not only be worthless, but to have a negative value due to brownfield concerns and a potential liability for multi-million dollar cleanup costs. In fact, the Harris County Appraisal District is the only entity that has assigned any value, appraising and taxing it based on the market value of neighboring properties. Not surprisingly, taxes have not been paid in over three decades. |
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"We believe we can put this property to good use," said Joe Donalson, director of New Beginnings Houston. "When I met with officials at city hall, their immediate concern was the public nuisance posed by the unsafe buildings, as well as all the trash and debris. Within a month, our volunteers had the lot clear. We even removed a large abandoned boat -- not an easy task!"
Another major concern was an abandoned radio tower. Although Federal aviation regulations required it to have flashing lights to warn off helicopters, copper thieves had stripped the structure of its wiring. "After decades of darkness," Donalson added, "the tower is once again lit up at night. We are also working with a ministry in Dallas that wants to put an antenna up on the tower for a low power Christian TV station." |
"Our mission remains the same," Donalson continued. "We will continue to serve our Lord Jesus Christ by following the examples He himself gave in Matthew 25:35 -- e.g., this property will be used to minister to the city's homeless population, providing shelter, food, and other support services."
"On the southwest side of Houston," Donalson said, "our volunteers go out every weekend and collect the so-called "bandit signs" that appear like weeds in the public right-of-way. The city has full time staff members that drive around collecting these illegal signs, yet they barely impact the number of signs appearing and reappearing on a daily basis. The plastic signs we collect are recycled as roofing, siding, and for other weatherproofing purposes." New Beginnings also plans to put plastic liners atop the slab similar to those used to prevent groundwater contamination beneath landfills, then add another layer of dirt. The new clean topsoil would allow residents to grow a garden. |
"Folks have been asking me why tiny houses," Donalson said. "There are a number of reasons these types of communities are growing in popularity across the country. As opposed to a large house to shelter the homeless, tiny houses costs a lot less to build. They can be built much quicker, and are easier for our volunteers to tackle. They're also easier to heat, cool, furnish, clean, and maintain. Finally, they offer privacy to the people we minister to. There are other organizations out there that try to shelter the homeless in large dormitory-type settings, then kick them out each morning. The bottom line is that these types of facilities are temporary. They don't do a thing to help get these folks off the street and back to being a functioning member of our society.
LocationNew Beginnings Fellowship Church
7135 Fulton Street Houston, Texas 77022 |