Excerpt from caymancompass.com
A cool breeze blows through the home on Frenchman’s Drive as Stephen and Janice Trusty welcome an assortment of well-wishers to their front porch.
“We feel overwhelmed,” says Janice. “We are blessed.”
Less than six months ago, there was nothing here – just a scrap of unpromising grassy land scattered with shrubs and rocks. At the back of the property, in Frank Sound, was the cramped mobile classroom that Janice and Stephen called home.
Riven with mould, the building lacked proper plumbing, the timber walls were rotting, and mosquitos, scorpions and tree frogs had made themselves at home. The conditions were less than ideal, especially for Stephen, who has serious health issues.
An unprecedented community effort – involving donors, contractors and volunteers from across Cayman – has seen a brand new ‘tiny home’ designed, approved and built in record time.
Coordinated by non-profit Acts of Random Kindness, it is the first project of its kind in Cayman and a template for future action to change the lives of hundreds of families living in similarly unsafe conditions.
Building for the future
ARK founder Tara Nielsen said the charity is already moving on to its next project – a similar small, but secure, dwelling for an elderly woman whose home was destroyed in a fire.
“This is a dream come true,” Nielsen said Saturday as a small gathering of some of the key players in the project convened for a blessing ceremony on the front steps of the Trustys’ new home.
“It just goes to show how quick you can put a house up when you need to,” she added.
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