Union Village is supportive housing for individuals who are deaf, blind, deafblind or multi-disabled
Some of Talladega’s leading institutions are working together to help some of the area’s most vulnerable citizens.
Talladega-based Presbyterian Home for Children has partnered with its neighbor Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind to offer Union Village, a permanent supportive housing community for individuals who are deaf, blind, deafblind or multi-disabled. PHFC has operated Union Village on a separate and secluded part of its campus for AIDB consumers since 2017.
This unique housing community is about to grow thanks to help from two of Talladega’s leading businesses. Crews from Talladega-based Davis Builders, Inc. will finish work on a major new addition of tiny cottages in Union Village by mid-August. The construction project adds six tiny cottages (two 500-square-foot homes per duplex) to the four existing small cottages at Union Village, unique and unmatched in the nation.
PHFC, along with its partners, will celebrate the growth of Union Village with a dedication ceremony on Sept. 13 at 2 p.m.
The project required a temporary construction loan, in this case a community revitalization loan financed by another Talladega institution, First Bank of Alabama. FBA President and CEO Chad Jones said, “Our part was simple: provide funding for a community enhancement that positively affects those with a need.”
“The project was something we supported from Day 1, and it has been a pleasure to see these continue to be a success,” Jones said about the Presbyterian Home. “Their vision, along with AIDB, has been immaculate. Growing the hearts and lives of those affected with these new cottages is a masterful project.”
These tiny cottages continue to feature special accommodations and accessibility designed especially for individuals who are blind, deaf, deafblind, or multi-disabled.
Each new cottage is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. They include zero-step entry, minimal thresholds and other features. AIDB provides full wrap-around support services to Union Village residents such as advocacy, job coaching, case management, transportation, assistive technology, and more.
“These cottages will bless the lives of the AIDB consumers who will live here, and the rent will help the Home fulfill its mission to fund our care of children,” said Bud Kitchin, vice president of operations for the Home and overseer of the project. “It’s thrilling to be involved with such an innovative project that enables two Talladega institutions to better serve their consumers.”
Kitchin said, “I’m especially pleased to be working with Graham Davis with Davis Builders, who builds high quality homes and also knows and appreciates the missions of both institutions. From the very beginning, Davis has continued to be core to improving Union Village and helping ensure our vision became a reality.”
Rental income from Union Village provides an additional funding source for PHFC, which serves at-risk and homeless children, youth, and families in addition to young female adults in crisis and families in crisis. Program participants come from across the entire state of Alabama.
The project started in 2022 thanks to grants from organizations throughout the state, including two from the city of Talladega.
