First Emerald Village Residents Move-In

Gib Hayes and his dog Sadie were among the first to receive keys to a tiny home at Emerald Village on December 23rd. The home was designed and built by Arbor South Architecture and a crew of dedicated volunteers. Dubbed "Gib's Digs," this tiny home comes in at 236 square feet—complete with a full bath, kitchenette, sleeping nook, and storage loft. Prior to this, Gib was living in an unheated RV without plumbing. At age 75, his modest social security check was not enough to afford even the most basic apartment rental. But now for just $350 a month, Gib can afford a permanent place to call home at Emerald Village. This monthly fee covers utilities, maintenance and operating costs, as well as membership share in the housing cooperative that the resident can take with them if and when they decide to move out Watch an interview with Gib as he receives the keys to his new tiny home here.

Kentrel Davis moved into the second home to be completed at Emerald Village. At 25 years old, Kentrel has struggled to find affordable housing with part time work in Eugene, but will now being moving into a "100 Mile Home."

It's Eugene's first permitted residence with a natural light straw/clay wall system. This innovative dwelling demonstrates a natural building process that uses minimal industrial materials and incorporates local labor, skills, knowledge, and the rich resources of the Willamette Valley

This home was designed by our project coordinator, Alicia Ginsberg, and built by Mud City Construction with the support of another dedicated crew of volunteers.

Thank you, thank you, thank you — to all the volunteers, donors, architects, engineers, builders, contractors, landscapers, and other community members involved in the project that helped us reach this critical milestone just before the year comes to an end.

We'll have 20 more homes coming soon, so stay tuned as we bring you more updates in 2018. In addition to our monthly newsletter, you can follow the Emerald Village Instagram page and Facebook page for the latest developments.