CRC Tiny Homes Helping Local Families Transition Out of Homelessness

Cosumnes River College (CRC) students in the construction technology program have built two tiny homes for families who want to transition out of homelessness.

Working with the non-profit organization We Force Inc., and a local community in north Sacramento called Safe Harbor, CRC’s tiny homes will be added to the existing tiny homes already located on a piece of private property.

“I am so proud that CRC is a part of something so meaningful to our community,” said Dr. Edward Bush, Cosumnes River College President. “While we strive to be an excellent educational resource for our neighbors, it’s not often that there is a direct and immediate outcome and these tiny homes are something that we know will help many families in the future.”

Professor of Construction Technology Ryan Connally has been instrumental in coordinating the efforts and resources to get this endeavor to the finish line.

“We’re very excited to be a part of this project,” said Ryan Connally, Construction Technology Professor at CRC. “We’ve talked about how we can use our capacity at the college and this program in particular to fill a need in our community and this is something that our students can feel proud of being a part of.”

Building a tiny home can take an entire academic year, but Connally has put together curriculum that marries the textbook schedule and hands-on work to ensure the students learn the most they can about construction technologies.

“It’s a great opportunity for us as students to not only learn what trade we want to go into in the construction industry, but to also give back to the community,” said CRC student Esah Moreno. “It makes me proud to be a part of the solution.”

“Our students are walking away with an in-depth toolbox of carpentry skills and becoming knowledgeable in residential materials like, sheetrock, insulation, electrical circuits, framing and exterior finishes,” Connally said. “They are also learning how to install windows, flashing, tape and texturing, and flooring.”

The construction program has been working with Habitat for Humanity for many years now and began building tiny homes in 2016 as part of a competition, but quickly realized that without a more permanent solution on what to do with the houses after completion, it would not be sustainable—so they began working with community organizations and after turning the focus on smaller, more scalable homes, CRC began working with We Force Inc. to find a way to benefit not only the program but local families.

“Having a legacy like this that the students feel a sense of ownership of a project that they know is going to serve a family is incredibly meaningful to me and to them,” Connally said.

Safe Harbor has recently purchased the lot next door to its community and will be putting the CRC homes there once permitting is completed.