Aiken County Approves 4-Acre Tiny Home Project for Homeless Housing

Aiken County Homeless Housing President George Clare revealed a new plan for a 4-acre tiny home community on Dyches Road. The project looks to help homeless people in Aiken County through better housing options.

"The Aiken Center owns 17 acres on Gregg Highway and it extends all the way over across to the South and West to Dyches Road," Clare told the Aiken Standard. "There's a couple hundred feet of road frontage on Dyches Road and so the property is 4 acres and it runs behind that 200 feet of road frontage."

These small homes, each under 400 square feet, will be located near important community services. The city council fully backed the idea by updating zoning laws on Feb. 10, with everyone voting yes.

The location right by the Aiken Center and Mental Health facilities makes good sense. Research shows the hard truth: mental health issues affect two-thirds of homeless people, while drug and alcohol problems affect one in three.

The Aiken Planning Commission will review the concept plan and will potentially meet in April. Once the community is established, management will move from Aiken County Homeless Housing to a partner group.