'It’s beautiful, it’s spacious': Interior of Project Tiny Hope’s first bungalow in St. Thomas unveiled

The first fully furnished tiny home in St. Thomas, Ont. has been unveiled as part of Project Tiny Hope.

“It's beautiful, it's spacious, it’s really well laid out and it has exceeded my expectations of what a tiny home could be,” said Sarah Lounsbury, fund development coordinator at YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin.

“The Doug Tarry team has done an incredible job with it and the YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin has done a really fantastic job with, staging this home.”

This 427 square foot home will act as the model home at 21 Kains St. and eventually will be lived in.

In September, a three-day blitz build was completed by Doug Tarry Homes and other builders which has brought the total number of tiny homes on this site to nine.

“We're looking forward to be able to start renting the homes in the spring,” said Doug Tarry, who had a vision to create a 40 home community on a vacant brownfield site.

Doug Tarry, president of Doug Tarry Homes, speaks at the unveiling of the first bungalow as part of Project Tiny Hope in St. Thomas, Ont., October 28, 2024 (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

“We've got a few more spots that we've got to fill in, and then we'll be able to take the north section of the property and bring it up for rentals. We’ve got to do our flat work in the spring as well, but that's being pre-planned, and we're super excited to be able to get people living here.”

The mix of one, two, and three-bedroom rental units will accommodate adults, youth and families.

Each tiny home will be equipped with a full kitchen, bathroom, laundry, private bedrooms and living room.

Outdoors will feature a playground, basketball courts and a community centre.

“You're turning something that was really an eyesore within our community into what's going to be a fantastic little community to live in,” said Tarry.

Sarah Lounsbury, fund development coordinator with YWCA St. Thomas- Elgin shows the interior of bungalow number one at 21 Kains St. as part of Project Tiny Hope (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

In the coming weeks the YWCA will be starting its next capital fundraising campaign in hopes of taking a dent out of the $15 million dollar cost of the project and keep plans moving forward.

“We'll be launching our ‘Adopt a House Program’,” shared Melissa Kempf, communications manager at the YWCA. “Within that program, businesses or an individual will be able to adopt a house. One bedroom for $5,000, two bedrooms for $6,000, and a three bedroom for $7,000. Those funds will go towards the furnishings and appliances in each of our units. It's a great way to add that extra bit of comfort to our new residents that will eventually be moving into this location.”

Tarry said his team will soon fence off the west side of the property so they can build the remaining 31 units while people have moved in.

“If you can, imagine a family moving in here,” said Lounsbury. “It is really a wonderful space to arrive, settle somewhere that is so safe and beautiful and has the supports that they need because everyone is matched with a caseworker. It's all here.”