Bridge Builder Communities opened its tiny home village on Merry Street on Oct. 14. Former foster youth ages 18 to 24 can apply. Here is who qualifies and what a home includes.

Augusta’s first tiny home community for young adults aging out of foster care is open. Bridge Builder Communities held its “Welcome Home” grand opening and ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 1140 Merry St.

The nonprofit announced the ceremony on its events page. It called the village “our first tiny home community” and invited the partners, supporters and neighbors who helped build it.

The village sits between the Laney-Walker and Harrisburg neighborhoods, according to the nonprofit’s page about the village.

Why it was built

In Georgia, young people still in foster care when they turn 18 are “emancipated,” or released shortly after reaching adulthood. Bridge Builder Communities says on its home page that many leave with little or no money and no family to turn to, and end up without a permanent place to live.

The village is meant to bridge that gap. Residents get a home of their own plus support with work, school and everyday skills.

What a home includes

Each home is a 320-square-foot efficiency, according to the village page. It has:

  • one central room for living, dining and sleeping
  • a bathroom and a storage closet
  • a kitchen with a two-burner induction cooktop, a microwave and an apartment-size refrigerator
  • a new bed and linens, pots and pans, a table and chairs, and bathroom supplies

Residents keep the furnishings when they move on to live on their own. A community building at the center of the site holds a training kitchen, free food and clothing, counseling and offices for education and job support.

The full plan is for 25 homes, the nonprofit said in its March 2025 groundbreaking announcement. That release named Bill Beazley Homes, Ivey Homes, RW Allen and McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture as the main construction sponsors.

Who paid for it

Two large gifts got the project started:

  • an anonymous donor pledged $300,000 in April 2024, according to the nonprofit’s release
  • the Georgia Power Foundation gave $250,000 in July 2024, working with the Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area, according to a second release

Bridge Builder Communities was set up in 2020 as a Georgia 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It was founded by Jackson Drumgoole, its chief executive, and ShDonna Drumgoole, its chief program officer and a licensed therapist, according to its about page.

What it means for you

If you are aging out of foster care, or you know someone who is, the resident eligibility page says applicants must:

  • be 18 to 24 years old when they apply
  • have aged out of, or be leaving, foster care in Georgia
  • have no history of violent offenses or sexual assault
  • have no children, because each home is built for one adult

The first step is the online interest screener on that page. Filling it out does not guarantee a place. The nonprofit’s team contacts people who qualify for the next stage of intake.

Residents can get help with budgeting, cooking, job readiness, education, mental health, relationships and money management.

If you want to help, the nonprofit takes volunteers, donated services and gifts through its get involved page. Its contact email is admin@bridgebuildercommunities.org.