A tiny home project in Greenville County aims to create more affordable housing for people who were formerly incarcerated.
The vision for the Tiny House Collaborative originated within the architecture department at the Fine Arts Center in Greenville County Schools. Department Chair Catherine Smith-Gates instructed her students to design three tiny homes for those experiencing homelessness in the fall of 2022.
These designs will be used to create a tiny home community for Soteria Community Development Corp., a Greenville-based nonprofit assisting men and women who were previously imprisoned. Five homes are planned for graduates of the organization’s one-year transitional program, each with a monthly rent of around $400 to $500.
Jerry Blassingame, CEO of Soteria CDC, said it can be difficult for people released from prison to access affordable housing. He explained that landlords often reject an applicant with a criminal record.
“We’ve been trying to get the stock of housing up for people with criminal backgrounds,” Blassingame said. “This tiny home community will be another step where people with criminal backgrounds can rent a safe, quality place to live for a period of time.”
The Greenville Homeless Alliance, which dissolved in 2025, was previously a key partner in the Tiny House Collaborative. In 2024, the nonprofit organization received a $97,125 grant from Greenville Women Giving for the tiny home program. Soteria CDC raised the remaining funding for the $700,000 pilot project.
The first tiny home, named the Murphy House, was built by students at the school district’s J Harley Bonds Career Center. Smith-Gates explained that the 128-square-foot house features a full bathroom, a kitchen and a small living area with a fold-down bed. The home was delivered and set on a permanent foundation on Soteria’s two-acre property in Travelers Rest on July 21.
TreeHugger Customs, a Greenville-based construction company, will work alongside Soteria program participants to complete the first tiny house and construct the four remaining homes for the pilot project. The Murphy House is expected to be ready in three months, with the entire project aimed to be completed by next spring.
“This is a huge first step for Greenville,” Smith-Gates said. “We’re hopeful it will, you know, create an opportunity for other people to step on the bandwagon and provide housing for people who really need it.”
Architecture partners
Three local architecture firms volunteered to create the construction documents for the Tiny House Collaborative:
- Craig Gaulden Davis Architecture
- Johnston Design Group
- Architecture 224
