Occupy Madison – Tiny Houses & More!

This week we are putting the final touches on phase one (temporary) of the new tiny house village at 1901 Aberg Ave.  We are very excited to be reaching the conclusion of interior construction!  We finished our last house in early January, about 2 months after purchasing the 1901 property.  We ended up building 34 houses.

At this point, honestly, we have to turn our attention to raising the money.  Our next plans include:

• • Renovations at 304 N 3rd St. starting in April.  We are adding a kitchen and community room to the building and adding 4 more houses. The new kitchen and community room will free up woodshop space so we can build the permanent tiny houses there. ($200,000)
  • Permanent status at 1901.  By June we need to go through the planning process and get permanent zoning for 1901 Aberg Ave.  Permanent zoning includes reducing the number of houses from 28 – 20, building our permanent larger houses, landscaping and building raised bed gardens.  It also means we have to determine a permanent use for the building. Should it be a sandwich shop?  A retail store? Or something else. ($200,000)
  • We need more land.  As the larger houses cycle in and we reduce the number of houses at 1901 Aberg Ave for our permanent use, we need to find a new place to put our houses. ($????)
  • We also need a new pick up truck to tow the houses and a passenger van. ($???)

We also know that many people want to continue to volunteer with us.  At the moment, we are looking for the following help:

• • Fundraising Committee – help us determine how to continue to raise funds, write grants and continue to grow our villages.
  • OM Store – help with our on-line store that sells products produced by our residents.
  • OM Grow – help with our greenhouse and spring plant sale.
  • Accounting – we are looking for a bookkeeper
  • OM Shop Managers – lead a shift in our woodworking shop.  Currently shifts are limited to our residents.
  • Resident meeting and services facilitator assistants (meetings are in person, not zoom)
  • Check back for more opportunities soon.

If you are interested in volunteering, email occupymadisoninc@gmail.com.

1. Donate to our GoFundMe page here.  You can also venmo, send a check to 304 N 3rd St. Madison WI 53704 or donate through paypal.  Yes, we have 501(c)(3) status.
2. Share our GoFundMe page on-line.
3. Sign up to become a sustainer – donating a monthly amount of money to help us with ongoing costs.
4. Buy products from our on-line store. (check back, more items will be posted.)
5. Donated items for the new village.   Items can be dropped off 1901 Aberg Ave.  Items we currently are accepting include:
   1. Laundry Soap
   2. Dish washing liquid, dishwasher soap
   3. Cleaning sprays, vinegar, bleach and cleaning supplies for bathrooms and showers
   4. Toilet paper
   5. Coffee
   6. Office supplies – paper (printer and notepad), pens, tape
   7. Arts and craft supplies
   8. Small curtains and curtain rods. (32w x 14 H)
   9. Shower shoes
6. Supplies for our woodshop can be dropped off at any time at 304 N 3rd Street.  Items we are looking for include:
   1. Untreated Dimensional Lumber (minimum length 6’) 1×4; 1×6; 2×4 ; 2×6; 2×8; 2×10; 2×12; 4×4
   2. Plywood (minimum size 4’x4’; please no OSB or Particle Board) 3/8”CDX; ½” CDX; ½” MDO
   3. Bulls Eye or Kilz Paint Primer
   4. Hardwoods: Cherry, Walnut, Hickory, Hackberry, Elm, Locust, Ash
   5. Other (please confirm we can use it before dropping off, we have a small space to store it in!)

Upcoming things to watch for:

1. An on-line auction for larger and unique items from Wiggies Bar
2. A grand opening as soon as COVID-19 is over!
3. Many smaller fundraisers over the next year as we continue to try to raise an additional $275,000 or more.

• Other frequently asked questions:
• How do I get a tiny home?

We have been very busy with construction and getting 28 people off the streets by the end of the year.  We’ve had over 400 people volunteer to build tinier homes and over 400 people donate to Occupy Madison during this time.  All told, there have been about 1,000 people who are making this project happen.  This award goes to them!

Here’s a video of us getting the award presented to us at the village.

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Here is the video from the Snowball where it was presented during the Snowball – the presentation is about a half hour into the video

Here is the introduction Dane County Board Supervisor Heidi Wegleitner did for the presentation of the award.

“Since 2011, Occupy Madison has been challenging local elected officials to end the criminalization of homelessness, address the unmet needs of people experiencing homelessness, and facilitate their creative and cooperative tiny housing solution.  OM is truly a housing policy innovator– it’s 3rd Street Village is the first tiny house village of formerly homeless people integrated into a residential neighborhood. In addition to the tiny houses, the village includes a greenhouse, raised bed gardens, a woodworking shop, and a store where OM goods are sold to support operations of the village.

Now, at a time when we are witnessing severe economic inequality, housing injustice, and a pandemic ravage our community, OM is harnessing volunteer power and member sweat equity to build more homes.  OM stepped up to respond to the urgent needs of people living outside by creating a 2nd tiny house village at the former site of Wiggie’s Bar on the northside of Madison.  It will be the home to 28 tinier houses as part of a temporary emergency housing program to keep people safe in the coming months.  In an incredibly short period of time in the last two months, OM launched this project, obtained temporary zoning, purchased the Wiggie’s site, obtained county support, and built 11 conestoga style tinier homes.

Cooperation is the culture of Occupy Madison.  Whether they’re crafting their vision, adopting rules, building houses, growing food, making goods, or operating the store, or lobbying elected officials, OM is committed to working together to get things done.  OM members are housed and unhoused. They are activists, organizers, developers, gardeners, and builders. They’ve changed laws, they’ve changed minds, and they’ve changed neighborhoods (including mine)… for the better.   Thank you, OM for challenging us and leading us.  You’ve inspired us and given us hope. You’ve shown us how we can take care of one another even in the most difficult times.”

We very much appreciate Supervisor Wegleitner’s kind words and are proud to have her a neighbor and our representative on the County Board!

We are so grateful for the donations that have been pouring in to Occupy Madison!  We are overwhelmed with the generosity of the community.  Cash is always welcome so we can use it where needed, but we know that people like to give tangible items as well, so here’s our wishlist!

At this point, our major donations wishlist items are can be dropped off at 931 E Main #17 during the work shifts for the volunteers and people who are building homes to live in include:

• • KN95 Masks
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Work Gloves
  • Bottled Water
  • Snacks
  • Sharpies
  • Large pieces of cardboard

We are still in need of some tools, at the moment we need:

• • Cordless Jigsaw
  • Cordless Circular Saw
  • Cordless Screwguns
  • Squares, tape measures, staple guns, box cutters, blades, carpenters pencils, etc.

We are assessing what we still need in terms of welcome items for the people who will be living in the homes.  Those items and others can be dropped off at 1901 Aberg Ave on Saturday Nov. 14 and Sunday, Nov 15 (10 – 4), but we know we will need:

• • Laundry Soap & Dryer Sheets
  • Dish washing liquid, kitchen towels and sponges/scrubbies
  • Cleaning sprays, vinegar, bleach (for showers and bathrooms)
  • Toilet paper, paper towels
  • KN95 or equivalent masks

Thanks to everyone who has volunteered or offered donations during the past month!  And thank you for being patient while we get things organized.