Orange Mound tiny homes attracting big interest
Dwayne Jones’ open house for his tiny homes in Orange Mound was set for noon to 3 p.m. last Friday. But that didn’t stop one woman from showing up six hours earlier.
“It was around 6 in the morning, and I came by to check on the heat (at the Supreme Avenue house),” said Jones, who was preparing the two homes he built for the open house.
“A young lady pulled up and said, ‘Hey, you’re the guy who was in the newspaper! Can I come in and look around?’
“I let her in so she could look around, and she told me she lived in Southaven. … She said she was spending $1,200 a month for rent in Southaven, and she was looking to downsize.”
Since Jones told his story to The Commercial Appeal, he said he’s been hearing from people like the Southaven woman – and others.
He’s received about 240 phone calls, 30 emails, 70 Facebook inquiries and 20 inquiries on his website, www.dwayneajones.com. Also, Jones said, he’s received 14 media requests – including one from The New York Times – for interviews.
And before 1 p.m. last Friday, Jones said, more than 20 people had stopped through Orange Mound to look at the 480-square-foot homes, one on Supreme Avenue and the other at Deadrick Avenue.
Some, he said, were single women who no longer had children living at home and were looking to downsize. Some were investors and potential funders from around the state. Some were single men who earn moderate wages, and a few were parents who were trying to help their grown children find an affordable first home – a home with a mortgage of $65,000 or less.
Then, there were people like Lanetta Anderson, an obstetrician and gynecologist who viewed the tiny homes as a means of reviving Orange Mound. She’s eyeing the homes for lots she is purchasing, she said.
“I’m from North Memphis, and I know the plight (a shortage of quality housing) exists there,” Anderson said. “The rental business is brutal, and the rentals are poorly maintained in these neighborhoods, so this is empowering for them.
“This is all about Memphis growth.” That may, in part, explain the numerous calls and inquiries that Jones is receiving about his efforts to build tiny homes in Orange Mound. Nearly half of Memphis’ renters are “cost-burdened,” meaning that they spend more than 35% of their income on rent.
Building some tiny homes to rent, for about $400 a month, is part of Jones’ plan. He’s currently renting a third tiny home.
“I always remind people, whenever I get a chance, is that in Memphis, we’re down 30,000-plus quality affordable housing units, and that’s growing,” said Roshun Austin, president and CEO of The Works Inc., a community development corporation that works to draw investment and amenities to Memphis’ struggling areas.
“There are units built in the 1960s and 1970s that have had no maintenance and no repairs, and they’re throughout distressed neighborhoods,” said Austin, who stopped by the open house.
“That means we have lots of people who are living in poor quality housing across the city. They’re suffering a rent burden, so they’re paying more than 30 to 40% of their income towards housing that is poor quality. …
“That’s why I really applaud Dwayne as a lover of his community. He’s investing his own money. I’m more impressed with him than I am with most developers.”
Others are impressed, as well. And many who are impressed have connections to Orange Mound and see it as a means to return, said Myles Wilson, a real estate agent with Keller-williams in Memphis who is showing the homes at Supreme and Deadrick.
“Oh wow, there’s been all kinds of interest since the (CA) article came out,” Wilson said. “People have been calling like five, six times a day. …
“They want to know what they can do to get qualified. They like the newness, and they like the fact that they can buy a house for under $65,000. But they’re also excited because a lot of them are from Orange Mound, they want to see the community rebuild, and they want to be part of its comeback.
“I had three people call me, and my mother was their elementary school teacher at Cherokee Elementary 25, 30 years ago.” Whether Jones’ tiny homes can transform Orange Mound from a historic African American neighborhood now characterized by ruin, poverty and vacant lots remains to be seen.
But what is clear is that by bringing a new idea into an old place, Jones has tapped into people’s yen for homes that are affordable and efficient.
And, for Orange Mound natives, a way to make their old community a part of their new lives.