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Groundbreaking Held For Tiny Home Manufacturing Facility Inside The Century Prison
April 12, 2024
Prisoners at the Century Correctional Institution will soon be building tiny homes inside the facility to help with affordable housing in the local area.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday at the facility on Tedder Road with the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) and PRIDE Enterprises — PRIDE is an acronym, which stands for Prison Rehabilitative Industries and Diversified Enterprises. PRIDE is a not-for-profit corporation created by the Florida Legislature in 1981. It receives no state appropriations.
A few years ago, PRIDE Enterprises Board Chairman James Reeves had a vision for PRIDE to expand operations into the Panhandle area.
Reeves identified a need for more affordable housing in the Panhandle, and in 2023, he guided the PRIDE Staff and board to adapt a plan to move forward with a PRIDE business inside the Century Correctional Institution that will manufacture tiny homes. They will be built by trained and certified inmates in a manufacturing environment.
Most of these homes will be sold in the region to meet the growing need to make housing affordable for the underserved people and families in the area.
Each inmate in the 40-student program has made a commitment to stay in the eight-county region when they reach the end of their sentence, so they can become a productive member of society using the skills obtained in the work program.
In January of 2024, Pride was awarded a Triumph Gulf Coast BP Oil Spill grant of $923,745 to reimburse for training and certification services provided by Pensacola State College. PRIDE is also contributing $521,000 to build a new 11,250 square feet facility at Century CI.
It is expected that the production facility with be complete by mid-2024 with tiny home production beginning in 2024.
Attendees at Thursday’s groundbreaking include FDC Secretary Ricky Dixon, PRIDE Enterprises President Blake Brown, PRIDE Enterprises Chairman James Reeves, Florida State Sen. Doug Broxson, Florida State Rep. Michelle Salzman, Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves, and other FDC leadership and officials.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
7 Responses to “Groundbreaking Held For Tiny Home Manufacturing Facility Inside The Century Prison”
I also would like information on tiny homes, this nana ready to down size
Just a quick comment didn’t see power tools in use although the guy in the back did have safety glasses on. I understand their great instructor preaches Safety first. Just saying. Job well done to a great instructor..
This an Outstanding program. Giving inmates a second chance in life to help boost their self esteem and gain knowledge for that opportunity to start a new fresh career on the outside. I wish more jails and State Prisons would do more to help reinstate inmates into their new life on the outside world.
Thank You…
How does a resident get on the list for a tiny home? Any veterans preference?
I was so looking forward to this day but, due to prior obligations I was not able to attend.
“Most of these homes will be sold in the region to meet the growing need to make housing affordable for the underserved people and families in the area.”
What a great partnership/program for the CCI, the inmates and Century!
That’s how it’s done. Give them practical training in a skill that they can use when they get out. Probably a much better chance that they won’t end up back where they learned the skill in the first place.
Not a comment on the story, just an observation on them in hard hats with shovels. It is more likely they get dirt in their eye than hit on the head, yet I see not a single pair of safety glasses…..They would be written up, and maybe displined in some places.
Know a couple of the folks in the picture personally, great people.. just couldn’t help pointing out what I saw.