PORT ANGELES — Pennies For Quarters, a nonprofit organization, is putting together a tiny house this weekend and the public is invited to help.
Pennies For Quarters members will use the east parking lot of Hartnagel Building Supply, 3111 U.S. Highway 101, to build the exterior of a tiny home on a trailer from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
“We want this to be a community event accomplished in just one weekend,” said Debbie Swanson, vice-president of the Pennies for Quarters board.
Cascadia Productions will film the project Saturday and the event will be family-friendly with children’s activities offered.
Pennies For Quarters was founded by Matthew Rainwater, a U.S. Border Patrol agent and chair of the Clallam County GOP, to provide free, temporary, tiny-home housing for homeless veterans.
The organization will use the tiny home in festivals and parades.
“It’s not a livable tiny house at this point. It’s to help raise awareness,” Swanson said.
“The idea is to ask companies and organizations to have it out and about so people can see it,” she said. “The plan is to have it be as visible as possible.”
With the help of Peninsula College’s Green Building Program students and their instructor, Pat Nickerson, the wishes of an anonymous donor who earmarked funds specifically for this project will come true, Swanson said.
Eventually, the interior of the house will be finished, Swanson said. This first phase — the exterior of the house and the trailer — will cost an estimated $5,000, she added.
The tiny house and trailer will be stored on a volunteer’s property, Swanson said.
Artist Sarah Tucker will paint the logo on both sides of the house, she said.
Pennies For Quarters aims to build a community of tiny homes to use as transitional housing for area homeless veterans.
A shared building on site would provide space for counseling, laundry, dining and other programs geared toward helping those living in the homes to overcome issues that caused them to be homeless.
The goal is for them to be able to gain employment, live on their own, and to accomplish whatever their personal aspirations may be.
“We’ve met veterans who could use our help today, people who simply need a helping hand,” said Rainwater, president of the Pennies for Quarters board, in a news release.
The organization continues to look for a home for the community after it came close to buying land at 1502 Butler St.
“Our search for property with the right zoning and access to utilities has been challenging but we are grateful for the support of both the county and City of Port Angeles,” Rainwater said.
Pennies For Quarters has been a recognized nonprofit organization since July 2017.
For information, or to donate, go to http://www.penniesforquarters.org or mail checks to P.O. Box 1705, Port Angeles, WA 98362.
