A diverse group of women are learning new skills which they’re using to build tiny homes for victims of domestic violence.
The ten women are part of a construction skills traineeship run at the Twin Rivers Centre in Eagleby.
Aged between 15 and 64, members of the paid program are earning certificates in construction while contributing to an urgent cause – protecting women fleeing domestic violence.
Their goal – and that of program organisers – is to build four tiny homes a year.
The idea was conceived by program teacher Karen Muras, who built her own tiny home after fleeing a domestic violence relationship.
“Thirteen years ago, I left a domestic violence marriage and I built a charity, Dandelion Safe Homes, from my own journey to help other women,” Ms Muras said.
“I came out with two days worth of clothes and no way of earning an income for myself.
“I was paying $410 a week in rent back then, and was on my own with four kids – I knew it wasn’t sustainable long-term.”
So Ms Muras earned a degree in building design and celebrated with a trip to India, where she was exposed to a different way of living.
She said there were “three or four generations living in the one room”.
“My mindset about how we live in western culture really changed,” she said.
“Why are we paying 45% of our income – if not, more – just to put a roof over our heads.
“I couldn’t continue to do this, so I designed and built my own tiny home over five weeks out the front of my rental house, then moved to a relative’s property and paid $50 a week in rent.”
She said living in a tiny home reduced her cost-of-living significantly, with no energy costs and minimal water expenses.
“And I owned my own home – it was my only hope of owning my own home as a single mum,” Ms Muras said.
“I wanted to implement and give the skills I learned to other women.”
Now Ms Muras is teaching women in Logan how to empower themselves and others.
She said the traineeship, called Build and Breathe, was about “rebuilding [participants] as women”.
“We have ten trainees in this six months, and ten in the next six months,” she said.
“The ‘build’ part is the actual skills – how to use the tools, safety, they get their white cards – so they are ready to go into the construction industry.
“The ‘breathe’ part is rebuilding them – asking questions like ‘are you looking after yourself, are you eating breakfast, what are your core values, what are your strengths?'”
Once complete, the homes will be despersed and filled.
“We aim to put [the residents] into a vendor finance program, so basically they pay the home off over 10 years,” Ms Muras said.
“They are paying rent, like they would anyway, but in 10 years they will own the home.”
She said this way, survivors of domestic violence will have an inheritance to pass onto their children.
“So it is not an endless cycle of rent,” Ms Muras said.
“I have had a friend in social housing for 20 years – she has no inheritance for her kids, and never will if she continues that cycle.”
While there is no confirmed destination for the homes to be moved to, Ms Muras said she was searching for funding to secure land to build a small community.
