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A HOMELESS woman has shared how a tiny home village got her off the streets and helped her to finally feel safe.
Avivo Village in Minneapolis, Minnesota, provides homeless people with substance abuse treatment, three meals a day, and, most importantly, private access to their own shelter.
For around two and half years, Jessica Eull, 40, said she could never find a consistent place to sleep.
During 2020, she was able to use Covid-19 unemployment benefits to pay for living expenses, but once that was gone she was on the streets.
Eull spent nights on friends’ couches and slept in her car before she found a shelter.
But after she failed to make the 10pm curfew, she was kicked out.
“I got on the bus and train and there was always delays,” Eull told Minnesota Public Radio.
Eull had a series of nights sleeping outside in tent encampments until she found Avivo Village.
The tiny home village intrigued her as each resident had their own private room where they could keep belongings without fear of them getting stolen.
“You don’t have to worry about having everything on you just to go to the bathroom,” she said.
Each resident is also paired up with a case manager who helps the tenant work toward their financial and housing goals.
The project has been so successful that the Minneapolis City Council agreed to contribute $1million to a $10million state grant funding another village.
According to Emily Bastian, vice president of Ending Homelessness at Avivo, there are already enough people to fill the incoming units.
“There more than enough need to have another 100 units,” Bastian said.
“South Minneapolis is the sport in our community where there is greatest need.”
Outreach workers engaged in homeless communities locate people who they believe could benefit from Avivo Village.
The tiny home community boasts “low-barrier access” which means that people do not have to be currently sober to get help.
“Individuals do not have to jump through hoops or show up in a certain way in order to be deserving of the services,” Bastian said.
The VP admitted the project is not cheap, as they use around $4.5million annually from state, federal, and local funds.
The employ 24-hour security services and five staff who are always on standby.
“It’s not an inexpensive intervention,” she said.
“But when we do the math, we identify that a night in Avivo Village is no more expensive than a night in a correctional facility in our community.”
Eull has friends who are still living in encampments, but she hopes that Avivo will help them like it helped her.
“I think I’ve done a lot of self healing here, I have my ups and downs,” she said.
“But I don’t have that anger inside of me no more.”
Another tiny home village that was just built provide free shelter, but tenants have to meet certain requirements.
