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Florence One authorizes MOU with House of Hope to operate 10 tiny homes for students experiencing homelessness
Summary
The board authorized the superintendent to execute a memorandum of understanding with House of Hope to build and operate 10 tiny homes for female students and families identified as homeless under McKinney‑Vento; the project will use charter‑school proceeds (~$500,000 currently) and House of Hope will determine placements under its operational criteria.
Superintendent Dr. Ali asked the board to authorize execution of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with House of Hope to build and operate 10 tiny homes on a former charter school site to support students and families experiencing homelessness.
Dr. Ali said the district would use proceeds from the closed charter school (about $500,000 currently in the account) as seed funding and that House of Hope — led by John Weiss Jr., as identified in the presentation — would lead operations and service delivery. "They are very excited to make this a part of their next journey," Dr. Ali said, summarizing the MOU’s division of responsibilities: the district would provide the property and maintenance oversight, while House of Hope would provide intake, case management and daily operations.
Board members discussed eligibility and selection. Dr. Ali explained families would be identified through the district’s McKinney‑Vento homeless student identification process and House of Hope would apply its model and criteria to select families eligible for the pilot. Board members emphasized that the initial build is limited (10 homes) and that it is a start toward meeting needs for roughly 300 students the superintendent said are currently identified as homeless or housing‑insecure.
A motion authorized the superintendent to execute the MOU with the proviso that minor typographical corrections could be handled during execution; the motion passed by voice vote.
Why it matters: the pilot repurposes district property and charter proceeds to create a targeted housing support model for students with housing instability, while placing operational responsibility with an experienced local nonprofit. The MOU clarifies roles and leaves final occupancy decisions to the operator, per the discussion.
