This summer, a group of students will learn construction skills by building a tiny home from start to finish in Ionia, thanks to a grant from the Alaska Mental Health Trust.

The grant, which totals $9,900, will cover the cost of materials for a tiny home — about 14 feet by 16 feet — that will be built this summer in Ionia, a small community near Kasilof. Ionia resident Eliza Eller said that at the end of the project, one of the six youths, a 19-year old woman, will be moving in to the house.

“Along the way they’re going to learn how to use basic carpentry skills, sawmill operations, building with natural materials like clay and straw,” Eller said on Jan. 22. “The house will be beautiful and functional and adapting to a sense of place here on the Kenai Peninsula.”

Eller said this is the first time that Ionia will be attempting this building and mentoring endeavor, but hopes to continue it in the future if it is successful. The idea came after some of the youth assisted in construction in Ionia last summer, Eller said, and she and others wanted to do something more substantial in the way of skills training.

“There’s something about building that is deeply satisfying,” Eller said. “And we do have a need for more homes here at Ionia. So we thought maybe we can do something to meet both those needs.”

The six youth who will be involved in the project are beneficiaries of the Alaska Mental Health Trust, which provides resources to Alaskans with mental illness, developmental disabilities, substance misuse issues and traumatic brain injuries.

Allison Biastock, chief communications officer for AMHT, said in an email on Jan. 21 that the Ionia project allows young Trust beneficiaries to gain real world work experience in the construction field while also expanding opportunities for cost-effective housing in a supportive community.

“Ionia and the Trust have partnered for many years on several projects to improve the lives of Trust beneficiaries, and we recognize Ionia as a strong advocate of Trust beneficiaries,” Biastock said. “Ionia has been an integral partner in efforts to implement peer support across the state, including through offering peer support trainings.”

Biastock said that the peer support program, which pairs people who have been successful in the recovery process with others experiencing similar situations, is a “growing and important component of our behavioral health system of care.”