Village of 6 tiny homes to go to the formerly incarcerated
A new mini village — complete with six 100-square-foot tiny homes, a communal bathroom, a kitchenette and outdoor picnic area — will house and support recently incarcerated people on parole in New Jersey’s Cumberland County, officials who recently unveiled the project said.
The Village of Hope in Bridgeton, New Jersey, which recently officially opened, will be offered as a free of charge, safe, stable temporary home for men on parole transitioning out of the criminal justice system.
Each one of the six tiny homes in the village sits on a trailer, is individually designed, climatecontrolled and includes necessities such as bedding, a mini-fridge, kitchenware, shelving and a desk.
A year ago, the idea started with a sketch on paper and came to fruition as different organizations began to partner together, said Nina Young, Bridgeton’s Code Blue coordinator, who helped with much of the groundwork for the project, including designing the tiny homes.
In collaboration with The Kintock Group, Gateway Community Action Partnership and the Reentry Coalition of New Jersey, the City of Bridgeton and the New Jersey State Parole Board were able to launch the Village of Hope as a one-year pilot program.
The community will be free for parolees.
It cost an average of $15,000 to build and
construct each home, and the anticipated operation costs for the Village are under $3,000 per month, according to project officials.
If it’s proven to be a successful program, the city hopes to expand it and continue to help with homelessness within the reentry population, according to Bridgeton Mayor Albert Kelly.
“Our hope is that our state and national leaders will see the value and success of programs like Village of Hope and make resources available in the future to replicate this model here and elsewhere for all segments of the homeless population,” said Kelly, who is also the CEO of the Gateway Community Action Group, an organization that provides services in South Jersey to improve the quality of life.
Sen. Edward Durr, R-N.J., attended the unveiling and shared sentiments similar to Kelly’s, saying he also hopes the Village can be a model.
Bridgeton’s new tiny home community is located only a few minutes from South Woods State
Prison, a facility that houses only male inmates.
With the help of the New Jersey State Parole Board, project partners will obtain referrals for recently incarcerated men in the Cumberland County area, who are on parole and seeking temporary housing.
Upon acceptance into the program, Village of Hope residents will live in one of the six private, transitional homes for up to 180 days as they continue to meet various preestablished program objectives and goals, officials said.
The Village has a community-like set up containing an outdoor picnic area and a fully stocked kitchenette room and a space to meet with counselors, which is equipped with Wi-Fi and a TV.
The Kintock Group of New Jersey specializes in providing communitybased reentry services, under contract with New Jersey’s Department of Corrections and State Parole Board. Kintock supervisors will oversee the day-to-day operations of Village of Hope.