An “opportunity” eight years in the making, is hitting full stride as the first small shovelfuls of earth were turned for more affordable housing in Woodland.

A “Tiny House” community of 12 homes, otherwise known as Freeman Garden Court, is now underway and should see its first occupants in about one year.

Woodland Opportunity Village and Friends of the Mission have been working together for the past eight- to 10 years to build the small homes at 334 Freeman St., on the southeast corner of Freeman and Kentucky Avenue.

The official groundbreaking was held Friday morning before 100 people representing Friends of the Mission and Opportunity Village directors.

Kathy Trott, who has been spearheading the project since its inception, told he assemblage that the project “will take all of us” to succeed.

“This will be the first of many ‘courts’ in Woodland,” she said. “We need to prove we can do this,” as a means of reducing homelessness.

When complete, each unit will feature a living area, kitchen, one bedroom, a three-piece bathroom, storage space, and a front porch, all contained within 385 square feet.

The property has been vacant and a half-acre in size. It’s owned by Friends of the Mission and bordered by a church, single-family homes, duplexes, an apartment building as well as a private business.

The units will be powered by solar and electric energy. Two of the units will be constructed for those with mobility issues.

Also included in the design is a “Common Building” with laundry facilities, an office, a gathering room and a bathroom.

Other features of the project include parking, shade trees, wheelchair width cement walkways, drought-tolerant landscaping with drip irrigation, a pet relief area, and a grass gathering space.

There will also be raised beds for gardening.

The homes will be fenced to shield them from traffic, a problem that became apparent Friday as speaker after speaker competed with passing semi-trucks, farm equipment and personal vehicles.

But overall, there was a lot of optimism about the project with Trott saying one of the intents was to “build community” among the residents, which is why it was designed with common areas.

“This will be affordable, low income, very low income, regular permanent housing,” said Trott. “This is the model and if we can do this, we can do infill lots throughout the city. Tell the city how wonderful this is.”

Scott Thurmon, executive director of Friends of the Mission, said the complex will cost around $4 million when completed and urged people to continue donating to the effort, noting that each unit basically costs $300,000.

Rev. Dr. Dany Bryant, founder and former executive director of Square One Villages in Eugene, Ore., traveled by motorcycle to the ceremony because much of Opportunity Village is based on what he and others did in Eugene to curb homelessness, which at one time had seen more than 22,000 people living on the streets.

Today there are some four permanent low-income housing projects in operation in Eugene, the largest of which caters to 77 people.

As a minister, Bryant urged people to think of the “Gospel of Oz,” asking everyone to repeat “There’s No Place Like Home. There’s No Place Like Home. There’s No place like home.”

“It took some courage, right? And it took some brains, right,” he said of the movie “The Wizard of Oz. “Well, there are some people with brains in this group. And it took heart. Most of all heart, and a sense of compassion and empathy for our fellow neighbors who are struggling. Everybody needs a helping hand and that’s what we are doing.”

He also noted that various statements from the Bible referring to Jesus state that there’s a “cosmic injustice that of all the species of this earth only human beings can be homeless. It’s an injustice because of the systems we have created of different ways of leaving people without their own homes.”

“Nobody blamed Dorothy for losing her housing,” he said. “Let’s stop blaming the homeless and figure out how to change those systems and restore the justice of housing. … Make no mistake. What we are doing here is about restoring justice and restoring humanity. You are restoring the humanity of your neighbors by providing them with a home. A place where they can be. A place where they can call home. A place where they can fulfill their potential as human beings.”

Yolo County 3rd District Supervisor Mary Sandy said the “Village” was a “testament to the strength and commitment to address the issues of chronic housing and homelessness.”

“You have shown the strength of not giving up,” she said. “It is an honor for me to stand behind you, to stand with you and to stand in front of you (for a minute) to thank you for this work. And to thank Woodland Opportunity Village and Friends of the Mission for whatever it is that drives you. Thank you for that drive and thank you for getting us to this point.”

“We know that the leading cause of homelessness is the lack of affordable housing,” she said, and noted the Woodland Campus that has been built off of East Beamer to house the homeless, has 100 beds available but can only fill 50 because not enough staff are available.

Sandy said, “this vision” for affordable housing begins today. “It’s more than just a housing development. It’s a testament to what’s possible when faith, humanity and compassion come together.”