On a warm July afternoon, 87-year-old Barbara Sabol sipped a cold beverage while admiring the studio-sized housing structures dotting farmland just northeast of Lawrence, KS.
The hill of tiny houses was designed by Sabol and her daughters to provide affordable rental housing for young adults aging out of the state’s foster care system, and the community is managed by the Sabol-led business Home Works USA.
Since breaking ground on the project in 2022, 10 units equipped with basic amenities have been constructed on Sabol’s property, with five more in the works.
Sabol has many reasons to be proud of the project. One is overcoming the zoning and code barriers thrown at the project by county officials who didn’t share Sabol’s vision. That’s where Sabol’s years of experience in navigating government red tape came in handy.
Foremost, though, is changing the lives of young adults leaving foster care, who statistically face hard odds for steady housing and employment. Their welfare has long been a cause close to Sabol’s heart.
Is It Good For The Children?
For decades as a government services administrator, Sabol battled to preserve the rights of the oldest and the youngest among us – first as the director of the newly created Kansas Division of Services for Children and Youth (1974-79), then as Secretary of Aging (1979-81) and Secretary of Health and Human Services (1983-86) under Kansas Gov. John Carlin.
It was the 1970s and ’80s, and Sabol was an anomaly: an African American and a woman in a state-cabinet-level position. She paved a path that’s never been replicated in Kansas, and, along the way, you can bet she fought more than her fair share of battles.
In her work heading Kansas’ Division of Services for Children and Youth and again as the deputy commissioner for the New York Dept. of Social Services (1987-1995), Sabol fought to strengthen foster care systems.
She consistently stuck by her guiding principles, to always ask the question, “is it good for the children?”
In both of these positions, she helped adopt policies and programs that helped thousands of children in foster care. However, she had absolutely no control over children – in New York or in Kansas – when they aged out of the system.
“It was always troubling to me,” she said, and the data gives reason for worry.
Tracking foster children who transitioned from state custody was difficult, Sabol said. And when she was able to turn up information, it was often bleak.
“Too many of the young men were moving into the prison pipeline,” she said. “And too many of the young women were, perhaps, parents too soon.”
Sabol found housing barriers to be a major pitfall of transitioning foster youth to adulthood. Over the years, she would keep that thought in her mind.
This Was It
After retiring in 2010, Sabol turned her attention to what to do with an inherited 26-acre property near Lawrence, KS.
From the early 1900s, Sabol’s great-grandmother Hattie Scott raised her family on the estate and also gave shelter to orphaned youth. Later, Hattie’s grandson Franklin Watkins and his wife Phoebe – Sabol’s parents – acquired the property and carried on the tradition of providing a safe and welcoming space for emerging adults.
Sabol consulted her family, and also recalled her former foster youth’s challenges. They agreed to embark on building the tiny house community.
“We asked ourselves, ‘what is it that we can do with this land that might make a difference for these young people?’ And this was it,” Sabol said.
“Federal laws were changing so that these young people could get more support, and this was the time to create an environment where the young people could take advantage of that.”
The desire to provide a safe and welcoming space is “kind of a legacy thing,” Sabol concluded.
Sabol and her family launched Home Works USA as an LLC, with the goal of developing a “replicable model community” they, or other groups, could follow to provide safe, stable, and affordable housing for former foster children between ages 18 and 26.
The Home Works USA website notes nearly 20% of young adults in foster care are homeless by 18 — and that 50% of the nation’s homeless population had spent time in foster care. Each year, 15,000 to 20,000 emerging adults age out of foster care each year.
“We hope to give them [former foster youth] a launchpad; a long enough pad that they can seek education. They can seek employment opportunities,” said Sabol. Because, “when you don’t have a stable living condition, it affects everything you do.”
Home Works also has a garden where residents can grow their food, “because nature helps. Nature heals,” Sabol said. The program also offers supportive services including shuttle service to take residents without transportation to and from work or school.
These three areas of support are encompassed in the community’s motto, “Home works, nature helps, and services matter.”
Low-Barrier Entry
The community is tightly managed by Sabol’s daughter and onsite supervisor Njeri Shomari.
Beyond a few universal ground rules that extend to all residents, unwritten expectations are that residents live frugally and responsibly. And the pieces are in place to make that happen, Sabol said.
The units feature a small kitchen area with appliances and cabinet space, and are also wired for internet service. The metal-sided units are billed as energy efficient — ranging in size from 256- to 384-sq. ft. — and in price from $450 to $500 for monthly rent.
Shomari added that those applying for residency need not worry about credit history or even a deposit — calling it “low-barrier entry.”
“It’s easy entry, but you have to demonstrate the ability to pay rent,” Sabol said. “So what we’re trying to do is instill a capacity and willingness to pay your way.”
Sabol said that the units are cost effective, but it’s up to the residents to make decisions that are financially beneficial.
For example, the roofing on the units is fitted with solar panels that could hypothetically cut down on electricity bills.
“If the young people are careful, they can keep their electric bill very low, less than $25 a month,” she said. “Some of our young people didn’t know about solar or composting, but they’re learning.”
An Emerging Community
Sabol strongly encourages residents to interact with each other while taking advantage of some of the perks the property offers — such as a public walking trail that circles part of the land.
But the community extends beyond its residents. A confluence of local college students and other volunteers have joined forces to help shape the community.
Architectural students from the University of Kansas converted a two-garage built by Sabol’s father into a greenhouse. And for two hours every Friday, another group of volunteers lend their time to upkeep the landscape and facilities.
Project Support & Funding
Sabol’s team has patched together funding for the project, including some grants.
“We have used our own personal resources and sought resources from others, financial and volunteer, and continue to do so to this day,” said Sabol.
“I’m really astonished at the commitment and generosity of people to the project,” Sabol said. “Our volunteers just keep coming back.”
Getting to this point has been tough and Sabol’s Home Works team still needs help to finish the project. Volunteers are needed and financial donations are needed and appreciated.
Volunteer opportunities are announced and coordinated through United Way of Kaw Valley and Just Serve. You can track your hours through those organizations or on their site HomeWorks-USA.com.