Families Donate Tiny Home to Habitat for Humanity

It was a busy few months for the Littlefield and Jernigan households as they took on a tiny home build – a home that will be donated to Habitat for Humanity Hawaii Island for a family in need of shelter on Hawaii Island.

“It all started when our kids heard about the number of homeless on the island”, Sandy Littlefield and Tanya Jernigan recalled. “The three of them – Nikki Littlefield, JC Littlefield and Caleb Jernigan – felt it important to work on and implement an eco-friendly solution to help some of them.” After discussion with both families, the teens decided building a tiny home was their goal. Both parents considered this a daunting undertaking given Covid and all the challenges facing the teens in a build of this type.

Undeterred, the teens recruited friends and family and partnered with Stephen Goss and Chad Unrein, co-owners of Mockingbird Tiny Homes, who graciously agreed to guide the build to ensure the structure would meet building standards required by the County of Hawaii Island. They also wanted to partner with Habitat for Humanity Hawaii Island, a Christian housing ministry who believes everyone deserves a decent and affordable place to call home.

After hundreds of hours of sweat equity by the teens, their friends and family, the home is completed and will soon help a family realize their own dream of owning a home. “We couldn’t be prouder of our kids and all the people that assisted them”, the parents agreed. “The build project helped put our lives into perspective coming out of Covid. They definitely gained practical life skills, but more importantly a whole new level of appreciation for having a good roof over their heads.”

Interested residents of Hawaii Island will have an opportunity to view the tiny home at an open house at Habitat for Humanity Hawaii Island Kona ReStore location on Sept. 17 from 10 AM-2 PM and on Sept. 18 from 9 AM-1 PM. Under the Habitat for Humanity Hawaii Island guidelines, family size can be no more than a 2-person household, must have a qualifying household income, have a need for a primary dwelling and must have their own land or be willing to live on one of the Habitat lots in Ocean View. For more details on the offering, visit the Habitat For Humanity Hawaii Island website at www.habitathawaiiisland.org.