BOWLING GREEN, Mo. — One-bedroom homes built by jail inmates will be sold for around $37,000 in Missouri, Illinois and Iowa.

The Aspire Partnership Small Homes Program kicked off today (Thursday, July 9). It’s an effort of the North East Community Action Corporation, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department and the St Louis Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship Program.

Residents of Missouri, Illinois and Iowa may purchase the homes through NECAC. Buyers must work with the agency to secure a loan or get one on their own.

The $37,000 cost does not include land, transportation from the jail to the home site or a foundation. Buyers must have a lot that is locally zoned for a small home and pay any utility or sighting costs.

The houses will be built at the Lincoln County Jail’s Inmate Training Center, which opened in 2019 with the goal of reducing recidivism and providing prisoners with workforce skills they can use to get a job upon release.

NECAC hopes to expand the program to another Missouri correctional facility and build larger houses.

If you’re interested in buying a small home, call NECAC at 573-324-6622.