Tiny house built by Arnette House residents being donated to Veterans Village

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OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - It may be “tiny,” but a military veteran at the Veterans Village in Fort McCoy will be getting a new home.

The Arnette House is celebrating their 40th anniversary providing emergency shelter services for youth ages 10-17. About a year ago they started a project building a tiny house and eventually decided to donate it to the Veterans Village in Fort McCoy.

Alcides Lugo Jr. the director of the Veterans Village remembers when he got the call.

“A year ago we got a call that Arnette House is working on a tiny home for a house for a veteran would you be interested and after speaking to a board president for the potentially and about a month ago is when they officially named us,” said Lugo Jr.

The 168 sq. ft. house has a queen size bed, new bathroom, shower and kitchen appliances, but the hardest part was building something you would not think of.

“The hardest part was the littlest thing up the ac up there we had to lift up ladders and climb into a tiny hole it was pretty hard but pretty fun,” said Dylan Fox.

The staff at the Arnette House wanted to teach a valuable lesson

“We want to teach them that giving back is as important as getting things. so this is one of the reasons we decided to donate that. the community is so good to us that we also want to give back,” said Cheri Pettitt.

The tiny house will shown around Marion County before making its home at the Veterans Village on July 1st.

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