DETROIT - The targeted blocks are just two of many empty swaths of land in Detroit, but Rev. Faith Fowler and Cass Community Social Services are gearing up to build around 20 tiny homes on the city's northwest side.

The homes will house Detroit homeless people.

In a video published Tuesday, Fowler touches on a few key points of the project, which has been planned for some time.

Fowler said in an email that 24 houses are planned for a two block area north of the community center's campus at Woodrow Wilson and Elmhurst Streets in the Dexter-Linwood neighborhood.

The homes will be finished by the end of the summer.

Once finished, they will be rented out to people who will "earn the property."

Cass Community Social Services Tiny Homes (Med Res) from Cass Community Social Services on Vimeo.

"Poor people don't have any safety net, so just one bump in the road throws them back..." said Rev. Faith Fowler in the video.

By giving them a place to live, "all of the sudden, poor people would have an asset that would change their life ... forever," she said.



The homes tackle three different issues, organizers said.

First, the houses "provide safe, clean and affordable housing for low-income individuals who will be able to become homeowners without having to qualify for a mortgage or pay interest."

The new houses will also bring density to a neighborhood with a lot of vacancy.

The homes will also be energy-efficient.

"It's not tiny at all, it's a game changer," Fowler said in the video.

Ian Thibodeau is the business and development reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. He can be reached at ithibode@mlive.com, or follow him on Twitter.