New ‘tiny home’ prototype brings hope for Petaluma project extension

Displayed on the kitchen counter of Anthy and Don O’Brien’s west Petaluma home is a small treasure chest figurine bursting with shining jewelry that had been sculpted together.

The artist, Sarah Gossage, lives in a tent near Petaluma’s Steamer Landing park - a homeless encampment the O’Briens have visited often as part of the “Burrito Brigade,” delivering home-cooked meals to some of the hundreds of Petalumans who live on the city’s streets.

Gossage’s gift came as a “thank you” for those meals, but also for the O’Briens’ more recent endeavor - an effort to build tiny homes for residents like Gossage who are daily exposed to the elements of the region’s cold, wet winter.

“She said ‘well if you can build a hut for us then I can give you one of my works of art,’” Anthy said. “So it’s special.”

The O’Briens always knew they had a calling much bigger than themselves, saying that contributing to community efforts was a “part of their DNA.” Now the longtime Petaluma residents are helping to push forward a key city tactic for curbing the growing homelessness crisis - building tiny, temporary shelters.

The couple hopes to expand the city’s “tiny home” village plan, presenting a housing unit prototype they designed and built themselves - with ample donations and volunteer support from fellow community members.

“It’s an offering to the city,” Don said. “The city staff is helping us with codes, (and) we’re getting encouragement from the City Council.”

On Sept. 13 city officials approved the purchase of 25, 72-square-foot housing units from Rohnert Park-based Quickhaven. The units, along with two office spaces, are planned as an extension to the COTS Mary Isaak Center on Hopper Street. Officials have circled a January completion date for the project.

But with nearly 300 homeless residents in Petaluma, according to the 2020 Sonoma County Homeless Census, the O’Briens, and other housing advocates see room for growth on the tiny home front.

“City staff have had multiple conversations with the O’Briens as they have been working on their prototype shelter unit,” said Assistant City Manager Brian Cochran in an email Wednesday. “As we bring more of these future projects online, the City will be able to explore additional sites and projects to continue expanding our efforts to house our unsheltered community. ”

Vice Mayor Brian Barnacle, who planned to tour the tiny home prototype Thursday, agrees that the project could be a solution to a growing crisis in Petaluma.

“I’m very supportive of (tiny homes) in principle,” Barnacle said. "I’m hopeful that this moves forward.“

The prototype, which is called a “sleeping cabin” under California housing code, is currently displayed on the couple’s driveway. The 83-square-foot cabin, which smelled of fresh paint Monday, was framed with 2-by-4 planks and 3 inches of foam insulation.

The flooring consists of what Don called rigid foam, which is sandwiched between planks of plywood. Above the general flooring area are built-in storage shelves for residents’ belongings. Most materials were purchased at the local Friedman’s home improvement store.

“You can drive a car on it,” Don said, touting the cabin’s sturdy structure.

The O’Briens said the prototype is worth about $6,000 - roughly half the cost of each Quickhaven unit. With the help of spoken word and community involvement, they raised $8,000 in a single day - more than enough to complete the unit.

“This community is amazing,” Anthy said.

Throughout the eight-week project, which the couple began Sept. 1, residents not only pitched in cash, they also helped with crucial steps along the way, including engineers and electricians who volunteered to drop by to inspect the unit to ensure that its makeup fell under state housing code.

“One fellow walked down the street and offered to hang the door for us,” Don said, adding that the original design needed to be reworked throughout the process. “We had to compromise, we had to restructure.”

The idea to build the unit stemmed from the O’Briens’ history of community involvement, most recently from their work with the Petaluma-grown group called the “Burrito Brigade” which brings home-cooked meals to various homeless encampments scattered throughout the city. While the group started last November by leaders Sue and Lucky Oaks, the O’Briens got involved this past spring.

“I was in a church group and someone said they’re looking for people to make muffins,” Don said. “And here we are.”

Muffins, cookies, fruit, burritos and more - it all gets wheeled out on their little carts for encampment residents every Wednesday.

“One of the best parts is the relationships,” Anthy said. “You get to know them, and they get to know you.”

The couple, who this year will be celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary, met in 1993 while working on the board at Petaluma’s Boys and Girls Club.

“We just kind of kept on going,” Don said, adding that he and Anthy also worked on the Cinnabar Elementary School District Board of Education, and now serves with the Petaluma People Service Center. “I really wanted in my heart to do something for the homeless.”

On Friday, the prototype unit will be taken apart and transported from the O’Brien residence in west Petaluma to the Rebuilding Together building on Payran Street, where it will be reconstructed and kept until the city approves a plan to build more of the structures.

Leaders with the nonprofit Rebuilding Together plan to partner with city officials in doing so. The O’Briens said they hope to start by building at least 10 units.

Barnacle said that in order for the project to be approved by the City Council, an official location must be decided. The O’Briens hope the site near the Petaluma People Service Center would be the main contender, since it lies next door to the Committee on the Shelterless building, which is already equipped with a kitchen, showers, bathrooms and health services.

But Anthy mentioned that location has potential to stir backlash.

“If you go up the hill there are these really nice houses, so there’s some concern about these being there,” Anthy said. “So (it’s) sort of a ‘not in my backyard’ issue.”

Whenever and however the units are built, the O’Briens’ main goal is to have the construction labor be volunteer-based through Rebuilding Together, with hopes to let the unhoused residents also take part in order to create “a sense of ownership” toward their new space.

“It would be a true community project - the city and the residents, and the nonprofits,” Anthy said. “And this town can do it.”

Amelia Parreira is a staff writer for the Argus-Courier. She can be reached at amelia.parreira@arguscourier.com or 707-521-5208.