Growing up in Marcellus, Dale Spicer worked sun-up until nearly midnight to support his family. His work ethic has persevered throughout his life, even after months of rehabilitation following the removal of a tumor.

Last year, Spicer, a United States Army Veteran, helped construct his new home on Bellevue Avenue through A Tiny Home for Good, a local nonprofit that builds affordable housing for individuals facing homelessness. Spicer said he didn’t mind the long workdays — he’s quick to offer a helping hand.

“If one of my neighbors need anything, they know where to call: ‘Dale!’” he said, cracking a smile.

Spicer is one of the long-term volunteers for A Tiny Home for Good, founded by Andrew Lunetta, a Le Moyne College alum, who also earned his master’s degree in public administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. With the help of volunteers and construction professionals, the organization builds miniature homes throughout Syracuse in an effort to reduce homelessness through sustainable housing.

Lunetta’s passion for giving back to the community was ignited during his first year of college when he started working night shifts at a local shelter. After seeing the same individuals being shifted between shelters and apartments, the volunteer experience opened his eyes to issues surrounding homelessness. He couldn’t believe that landlords were profiting off housing with various code violations and flawed conditions.

To Lunetta, the solution was clear: better, more-affordable housing.

The 300-square-foot homes offer privacy and a sense of ownership that connects residents to the community in ways that shelters cannot, said long-term volunteer Teresa Doherty. She met Lunetta after getting involved with his program, Pedals to Possibilities — a bike riding group inclusive of people in Syracuse facing homelessness that meets a few times a week.

Lunetta started the bike riding program in 2011, while studying peace and global studies at Le Moyne. He met Dolphus Johnson, the first resident for A Tiny Home for Good, through the program.

For Lunetta, all the work he had been doing in the community was inspired by Johnson’s story, knowing that there were many other people in similar situations.

Each miniature home offers increased privacy with about 300-square-feet of living space, including a kitchen and bathroom. Haley Robertson | Feature Editor

The relationships Lunetta develops vary from tenant to tenant. Some residents, like Johnson, are some of Lunetta’s closest friends. To others, Lunetta is mostly valued as a landlord who cares for them, serving as a case manager or a liaison to external case management.

When the organization first started, Lunetta and volunteers spent about a year and a half seeking vacant land to build on. There were several open lots in Syracuse, but the team had to first gain neighborhood approval. Lunetta recalls knocking on hundreds of doors and constantly being told “no” over and over, later realizing that 100 percent approval on the project may be impossible.

But after the first two homes were built, Lunetta said he noticed a change in perception from some of his neighbors. People who had been adamantly against the project now supported it, which Lunetta credited to the fact that the tiny homes have an aesthetic unlike a shelter or other properties.

“We’re putting up something nice that is increasing neighbors’ property values,” he said. “I feel that just given every single interaction I’ve had with neighbors, people are really happy with what we have going on here.”

Before the Tiny Home for Good team can step foot on a job site, Lunetta and the board of directors work to obtain the proper permits — a lengthy process Lunetta said he didn’t anticipate when first starting out.

Once the construction process begins, Lunetta said each home typically takes four months to complete. While subcontractors are onsite to assist with the building process, A Tiny Home for Good is powered by its core volunteers — some of whom have retired from their professional careers.

Bob Dougherty, a former Syracuse Common Councilor and an avid bicyclist, met Lunetta through Pedals to Possibilities. Lunetta asked Dougherty to be on the board of directors for A Tiny Home for Good, which assists with administrative tasks as well as the construction itself.

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Four of the core volunteers are in their 60s, Dougherty said, joking that Lunetta’s “just a kid” and doesn’t always understand their pop culture references.

“We really have fun with what we’re doing,” Dougherty said. “Part of this key to success is that we really have a good time, and Andrew puts up with a lot.”

While each of the core volunteers is accomplished in their professional fields, Lunetta said, not all of them have previous construction experience. Taking the time to guide volunteers through each step to avoid mistakes can be frustrating at times, but the bumps along the way are only a minor issue.

“This wouldn’t exist without the support of volunteers. It just wouldn’t. You can’t build a house by yourself,” Lunetta said. “It’s a lot more than just the hammer and nail support that these volunteers afford me.”

Although she joined the project with minimal construction experience, Doherty has been involved with various nonprofit organizations. She recently returned from two weeks with the Red Cross in northern California in response to the devastating forest fires. For Doherty, volunteering helps make people aware of human commonalities.

“For all of us, we are one crazy tragic event from being in a position of being extremely vulnerable,” she said. “And if you are lucky to have family, you might be able to recover that way. And if not, your struggle might look a great deal like their struggle.”

A Tiny Home for Good has a few specific goals for 2019, Lunetta said. First, to build eight more houses. For their next project, the organization has partnered with Hope 4 Us Housing Corp. to build four units on Syracuse’s Near West Side by late April or mid-May. Lunetta also hopes to establish an office space so he can make the first hire and have a space for group meetings.

“It’s kind of a feat that a volunteer group that’s relatively small has finished 11 houses in Syracuse in the past four years,” Doherty said. “But the flip side of that coin is that it’s only 11. We need 111 … 211.”

Published on January 22, 2019 at 10:10 pm

Contact Haley: hrober03@syr.edu