UF’s campus is about to feel more like home.
Today at noon, the UF Bateman team will launch its monthlong “Imagine…a place called Home!” campaign for Home Matters, a not-for-profit coalition group of housing organizations and other community groups dedicated to raising awareness for home affordability.
The Bateman Case Study Competition is a national competition sponsored by the Public Relations Student Society of America, where teams from each participating college are tasked with creating a campaign for that year’s chosen client.
The Bateman team helped set up a home, made out of a shipping container, on the North Lawn late Tuesday night, said Valeria Yulee, a 22-year-old UF public relations senior and Bateman team member.
People are invited to tour the tiny home on campus, learn about home affordability and participate in games and giveaways in the Imagination Station set up next to the home. The home will be open every weekday until Feb. 11 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The tiny home will be available to view via live-stream at homeimagined.com.
The campaign is designed to teach people the importance of quality, affordable homes in Gainesville. The Bateman team is challenging people to re-imagine approaches to the issue, Yulee said.
“Especially as millennials, I don’t think a lot of us are thinking about home affordability and how we’re going to find and maintain a stable, affordable home when we graduate,” Yulee said. “It’s something that I think would be beneficial to start thinking about now.”
There will be events throughout February to teach students about home affordability, said Andrea Cepeda, a 22-year-old UF public relations student and member of the Bateman team.
Financial workshops will also be held to educate students on the importance of smart financing, understanding credit scores and the requirements for renting or buying a home after college. They will be led by Taylor Spangler, Florida Master Money Mentor state coordinator.
“Our goal is actually also to raise awareness,” Cepeda said, “but if they do want to get involved, they’re invited to come to our workshops and they’re invited to come to our panels.”
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 2/4/2015 under the headline “Bateman team launches tiny home campaign for affordability"]
Correction: The original story named Home Matters as a company. It is a not-for-profit coalition group of housing organizations and other community groups.
