Branson nonprofit plans ribbon cutting for tiny homes development

Last edited 12:23 p.m., May 26, 2026 [Editor's note: A duplicated paragraph has been removed.]

A tiny home community under construction in Branson is set to have its first residents move in following a May 28 ribbon-cutting event.

The ceremony for Elevate Community, a multimillion-dollar development by a Branson nonprofit, is set for 9 a.m., according to a news release. Eight fully constructed, 400-square-foot homes are complete at the construction site on 5 acres north of Elevate Branson’s 310 Gretna Road campus.

Elevate Community was started by the nonprofit, which focuses on combatting poverty in the Branson area. The tiny homes development targets people who are on a fixed income living at or below the area median income, according to Elevate Branson officials. The first residents are expected to move into the new homes sometime in June.

“This is an exciting milestone,” said Bryan Stallings, Elevate Branson co-founder and CEO, in the release. “Now that utilities are connected and the street is paved, we expect the first tiny homes to be occupied very soon. It’s an important day for this project, but it means even more for these first residents. It’s the start of a new life for eight of our neighbors who have been struggling in undesirable, unstable or unsafe housing for many years.”

All Elevate Community houses are for individuals or couples, Stallings said. The one-bedroom, one-bath homes are fully furnished with kitchen, dining and living room spaces. Rent is set at $495 a month with utilities and trash removal included.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony comes after the eight homes were lifted and placed on their permanent foundations by a roughly 90-ton, 200-foot-tall crane in mid-March as part of the development’s 48-unit first phase, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. 

Stallings previously told SBJ there’s enough property to accommodate 70 tiny homes, adding the project has adequate funding to build all of them. The tiny homes community offers affordable housing with access to support services such as workforce development training, mental and physical health services, transportation assistance and children’s programs available next door at Elevate Branson.

Neosho-based Village Home Builders is manufacturing the houses for Elevate Community, Stallings said, adding 36 of the homes are sponsored. Additional financial support is currently being sought for the last few homes in the first phase that sits on land donated by the Herschend Family Foundation. Home sponsorships are $45,000. Current home sponsors include Arvest Bank, The Bank of Missouri and The Butterfly Palace.

Elevate Branson also purchased the adjacent eastern 10 acres in 2022 from Ozark Plaza Development LLC as Stallings said that property was needed to install a gravity-fed sewer, which reduces expenses versus putting in a lift station sewer, according to past SBJ reporting.  

Stallings said almost $7 million for the project has been acquired from publicly funded grants and programs, including a $1 million grant from the American Rescue Plan Act, along with various private donors, according to past reporting. He said the rise of housing costs is contributing to an increase in the project’s price tag, which he estimated will likely exceed $10 million. That includes on-site commercial buildings to provide employment training opportunities. Elevate Branson officials hope to eventually offer several microbusinesses, storage facilities, outdoor cooking areas, a small amphitheater and a chapel on-site.

In addition to the homes, Stallings said sponsorship opportunities for private roads that will be in the development also are being offered for $50,000. Additionally, smaller sponsorships are available, such as landscaping at $7,500, furniture at $6,500 and home essentials including bed linens, bath towels and kitchen supplies at $2,500, according to its website. 

Eligibility requirements are that occupants have lived in Taney County for the past 12 months and have income at or below 50% of the area median income. According to the Elevate Community application, the income limit is listed as $26,600 for an individual and $30,400 for a married household of two.