House of Hope gifts model tiny home to Pee Dee church

FLORENCE, S.C. (WMBF) - House of Hope spent more than year taking a model tiny home around the Pee Dee to promote their HOPE Village.

Now the model home has a new home across town as non-profit leaders look to give hope and refuge to more people in the Pee Dee.

The HOPE Village aims to provide temporary housing for homeless families.

RELATED COVERAGE | Pee Dee leaders hold ribbon cutting for House of Hope’s Tiny Home Village

The model home looks just like the other 24 tiny homes in the neighborhood, but it didn’t meet the city of Florence’s residential codes.

“In the city it has to be built on a concrete slab, it has to be built on foundation, it was a pre-fab unit and it just didn’t work, so instead of getting discouraged we just said we’ll see what happens,” House of Hope Executive Director Bryan Braddock said.

Braddock didn’t want to the house to go to waste.

After meeting with Pastor Devon Long with the Prayer Tabernacle Place of Refuge, he had an idea.

Braddock asked House of Hope’s board of directors if they could donate the home to Long’s church.

“The Refuge is right across from the city, so Pastor Long and his congregation can use it here to benefit people in the same community,” Braddock said.

The model home officially became the first home in the Refuge Transitional Living Community.

Pastor Long said his tiny home village will be similar to the HOPE Village. It will give homeless families a place to call home.

“Anyone who is under the threat of homelessness, if we have space we want to accommodate,” Long said.

While it’s just one tiny home right now, Long said this is only the beginning of a wonderful ministry.

“This is just the stepping stone, we’re in the process of putting a plan together within the next five years to have a multi-phased tiny home transitional village along with a community resource center on the grounds,” Long said.

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