Chama Lot Vision

East Central Ministries

Background

In 2023 East Central Ministries decided to turn its attention to the continuing problem of people in the community struggling to find a place to live and to take advantage of the opportunity of so many vacant and abandoned properties in the International District. East Central Ministries purchased the Chama property to demonstrate how a continuum of housing from improvised shelter, to temporary homes, to apartments, and home ownership could turn blight and hazardous properties into housing opportunities.

Project Description

The Chama lot is a chance to show how a continuum of housing works. It originally was a lot with one home which became dilapidated and then was demolished. Over the summer dozens of community members gathered after the purchase to clean and condition the property for use. The vision is to subdivide the lot to allow for many more people to live and shelter. The first stages of the project would be to position modular and movable units for case managed people coming out of homelessness. But the positioning of the modulars would allow for improvised shelter and storage as well. 

Over time, the site will evolve, demonstrating different elements of the continuum including family housing and eventually townhomes. Because the modular housing can be moved and repositioned, the lot can accommodate the community’s needs as they evolve over time.