On Friday, Oct. 16, Lisa Pierce, director of Alabama Rural Ministries (ARM) settled into a shack across from Tiger Rags on Gay Street, where she will be staying until Thursday, Oct. 22.
Pierce's temporary lifestyle is part of a fundraiser called Sweet Homes For Alabama, designed to raise awareness and funds for ARM which supplies low-income families with home repairs.
ARM has hopes for the fundraiser to raise $55,000 from donors to help provide for another successful year of repairing homes.
Joe Davis, ARM director of ministry operations, said the shack Pierce will be living in is just big enough for one twin-sized mattress.
He also said the shack is not supposed to show people what it is like to be homeless, but what it is like to live in a home that is not safe, warm or dry.
"If you look at this house, you can see that if it rains it'll get wet, and if the temperature drops it'll get cold," Davis said. "It's a demonstration for people to see."
The idea of the shack came from Joe O'Neal, a former construction supervisor. Davis said O'Neal sat in a shack at a local church to raise money from friends and family and called it "Joe in a Box." From there, the idea grew into a community-wide fundraiser.
Aside from the shack Pierce will reside in, Davis said there is also a guest shack, where others can help raise money and awareness as well.
Each year, ARM helps repair 30-40 houses for families in need. Group members fix anything from leaky roofs to busted windows.
Pierce said before the repairs can begin, a screening process is conducted to check financial backgrounds and evaluate the family's home.
Pierce also said the work the team does is not just a quick fix – it takes weeks or even months to complete depending on damages.
By living in the shack for a week, Pierce said she hopes to show others what it is like to live in poor conditions and encourage them to help ensure other families do not continue to live in those conditions.
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