Tiny homes are one solution for the homeless

In March 2014, I was invited by Albuquerque City Councilor Diane Gibson to visit the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope tent camp that serves homeless individuals in Las Cruces. This trip was a result of many conversations with community members about the growing homeless population in Albuquerque. This visit also helped us respond to the concern of citizens over the controversial removal of the rail yard’s tent camp months earlier.

I was not sure what to expect, but I wanted to visit the Las Cruces camp since it had been successfully functioning for several years. What I witnessed was a well-maintained, wellsecured camp providing about 35 tent sites. After visiting with residents, it was clear they were proud of their community. They had developed a list of rules and were committed to enforcing them. They told us they had a very good relationship with surrounding business owners because they watched out for them — reporting any suspicious behavior.

Soon after, we discovered Opportunity Village in Eugene, Oregon, a tiny home village that had also been successfully functioning for years. It was structured very much like the camp in Las Cruces, but unlike tents the structures were much more durable.

Further research on similar projects proved, that when managed properly, a tiny home village can serve a segment of the homeless population by providing an opportunity for individuals to have the stability they need to improve their lives.

So the idea for the Tiny Home Village (THV) for our community began to take shape. The funding for the village is from the Affordable Housing Bond approved by voters in 2016. After several public meetings to educate the public on the project, we are reviewing potential sites on which to construct it.

The Bernalillo County THV will be structured similar to the Community of Hope and Opportunity Village, but the units and site will have very high construction standards. They will not look like “storage sheds.” Each unit will have electricity, cooling and heating.

It’s important that people who own homes or property in our community understand the THV is one solution for a segment of a growing population who find themselves unable to pay for housing. People such as Ramona G., who was injured and not able to work or pay her hospital bills. She now lives out of her car.

People become homeless for a variety of reasons, and just like the general population have problems with drug addiction, depression, behavioral health and mental illness.

As a result, there is not one program that will make homelessness go away. We can begin to address this issue by implementing programs and projects that are proven to work. We need more “transitional housing” such as THV, and we need more truly affordable permanent housing. Unfortunately, the gap between wages and housing has grown steadily. Families and individuals who pay more than 50 percent of their income for housing are literally a paycheck away from homelessness.

I believe most people in our community are compassionate and want to help those in need, but they also need to feel safe when interacting with or helping a population they fear. We all want our contributions to make a difference.

As I was leaving the parking lot at Camp Hope in Las Cruces, an expensive car pulled up and two women about my age stepped out. I noticed their expensive clothes, purses and jewelry. Smiling and chatting, they proceeded to open the trunk and remove boxes of food to donate to camp residents. I remember thinking that the interchange between those of us with means and those without is not one-sided. It is an opportunity for us to do what is right and just.

My grandson, age 9, in response to criticisms about housing people who are homeless, said “Don’t people understand that when a person has a home they are not homeless anymore?”