“It is better for everybody” – Moccasin Flats’ tiny home project houses first resident

The first Moccasin Flats tiny home has been completed and is now in use with more on the way.

The tiny home project, which started a little over a month ago, has been led by a small group of volunteers who are raising money to build insulated temporary shelters for residents of Moccasin Flats to stay inside over the winter.

Nikita Teegee has moved into the first tiny home and spoke to My PG Now about the much-improved living space.

“It is better than being in a tent for everybody, that’s for sure,” she said. “You can freeze in a tent. This is a good thing. It feels like there is more security, anybody can go into a tent. This is more like a house that you can lock.”

Before living in the tiny home, Teegee lived outdoors – she was one of the people evicted from Millennium Park by the city and forced to move to Moccasin Flats in the fall.

“It was sad,” she remembered. “I lost lots of stuff. We built, we got bulldozed, I had lots of sentimental stuff I didn’t get to grab.”

Since arriving in Moccasin Flats, Teegee’s living arrangements were much less secure than they were in Millennium Park – until she got in to her new home.

She is the first of nearly 60 people who asked to receive a tiny home, a goal the team of volunteers would like to meet.

Phillip Fredriksson, one of the volunteers who has been behind the project since its inception, told My PG Now “we are tackling something that has been neglected, which is supporting the unhoused community down here… we are just meeting a need.”

Last month, Fredriksson posted a GoFundMe with the hope of raising $1,000 to pilot the project and build the frame of one home.

Now, the fundraiser has brought in nearly 10 times that amount, and other donations of cash and supplies have been given to Fredriksson’s team directly.

The fundraiser goal has now been increased to $90,000, with the hopes of building more than just a couple tiny homes. Fredriksson said each structure costs about $1,500 to construct.

“Originally we just wanted to pick it up and get it going,” he said “The end goal is to make sure everyone who is down here in a nylon, plastic or cardboard shelter can get into an insulated, warm building.”

Fredriksson said the homes are 8×8 with a 9×8 sloped roof. They are fully insulated, and thanks to a donation from Carrier Sekani Family Services, the homes are being offered with a bed.

While My PG Now was speaking with Fredriksson, a team of nine volunteers was putting the finishing touches on the second tiny home – with the supplies ready to go for number three.

The group also recently completed a bunkhouse in the encampment, which could fit 10 bunk beds to sleep 20 people.

It has not been used for sheltering yet, instead Fredriksson said Local Food PG has been hosting Sunday dinners out of the bunkhouse, which he said feeds nearly 50 people every week.

This work continues despite the stop work orders placed on the project by the city two weeks ago.

The city made it clear they would not enforce the orders – they were put in place because Moccasin Flats is on city land, which presented liability issues.

In the hour My PG Now was on site, city bylaw officers were also present and driving through the encampment.

The city orders are something Teegee said she was “pretty upset with.”

“Why would they do that when they kicked us down here? Then they take away everything we are trying to work hard for – they put us here,” she said. “These houses, they are better looking than a tent anyways… it is better looking for the city so we look a little more civilized.”

“Hopefully BC Housing gets their shit together, and the city should stop bullying us and help us so they don’t have to keep worrying about us,” she continued. “It shouldn’t be that hard to do. A little more help would be nice.”

“People are being neglected down here and it is important for us to step up as a community to help them out and make sure they don’t suffer any major problems throughout the winter,” Fredriksson said.

“Donate, share, tell people about it. We are making a difference down here… as long as we keep the funds coming, we can continue to build,” he said. “Support your community, it makes a difference.”

You can find the tiny home GoFundMe page here.