Welcome

• It is a harsh fact that many people remain sleeping on the streets despite the array of available outreach and provider programs.

Housing the homeless is challenging. For every 100 renter households in the U.S. who earn “extremely low income” (30% of the median or less), there are only 30 affordable apartments according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Multi-unit, dormitory-style public buildings can be very expensive to build, starting at about $200,000 a unit.

That is why about 10 years ago communities began to explore building small villages comprised of small single units that would offer residents safe places to sleep.

While the county and city offer a variety of outstanding services to people living on the street, individuals are still “falling between the cracks,” and services need to be provided on a case-bycase basis. This project will help fill gaps in the existing services while also providing an alternative to current interventions that are not able to adequately address each individual’s specific needs.

Our Tiny Home Village is inspired by the community first housing model with the basic philosophy that housing alone will never solve homelessness, but community will. Please visit the following projects for more information about the community first concept at www.mlf.org and www.squareonevillages.org.

 New Mexico's first tiny home transitional housing project is funded by Bernalillo County and managed by the Albuquerque Indian Center. Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O'Malley spear-headed the project in collaboration with City of Albuquerque Councilors Diane Gibson and Pat Davis and the Albuquerque Indian Center.

Located at 101 Texas St SE, the Tiny Home Village opened to residents in February 2021 and is comprised of:

• 30 stand-alone 120 sq. ft. furnished, heated, and cooled living units with individual porches of which five are wheelchair accessible
• Eight single-occupancy, well-lit and visible, lockable bathrooms
• Communal village house with high quality grade kitchen, dining and recreational spaces, full laundry facilities, library, computer pod, office for private meetings, and private individual lockers
• Fully fenced and gated site landscaped with trees, gardens, and open-air living areas

Goals for the Tiny Home Village: 

• Provide dignified, safe, stable and attractive transitional housing for people currently experiencing homelessness. 
• Incorporate housing and services to stabilize residents and help them on the path to health and well-being. 
• Provide a safe space for those waiting for traditional affordable housing to become available. 
• Add deliberate and supported community-building, self-development, and provide life and work skills. 
• Provide support for employment.  

Tiny Home Village Applicant Requirements

• Be currently unhoused
• Be 18 years and over (singles and couples welcome)
• Be sober/clean for a minimum of 10 days
• Be willing and able to participate in community building through general village participation
• Be willing and able to participate in the maintenance and running of the village
• Agree to pay the $30 utility contribution by the 1st of each month
• Agree to work with the THV support team members on personal growth and self-care
• Agree to take advantage of assistance benefits
• Agree to abide by the village community agreement

Residency Limitations

• No registered sex offenders or people who have been found guilty of a sex offense charge
• No illegal substance nor alcohol use permitted on-site
• No guns or lethal weapons allowed
• Village occupancy capped at 40 with a maximum of 10 couples
• No minors or overnight guests; guest security rules apply

Village Security

The Tiny Home Village is fully fenced with a security gate to protect residents as well as the surrounding community. In addition: 

• Village resident volunteers will be on duty 24/7. 
• There is a contracted security firm on site during the evening hours.
• Bernalillo County has an ongoing relationship with the Albuquerque Police Department and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department to provide backup as appropriate. 

Benefits of Transitional Housing

 Providing transitional supportive housing to unhoused adults makes good economic sense. Transitional supportive housing can reduce:  

• Healthcare costs by 59% 
• Emergency room costs by 61% 
• Number of general inpatient hospitalizations by 77% 
• Hospital inpatient costs by 55.9% 
• People who are homeless: 
• Visit an emergency room an average of five times a year (at an estimated cost of $18,500 to $44,000) 
• Spend an average of three nights in the hospital per visit 
• Are more likely to be re-admitted (in Albuquerque the readmission rate is 30.1% for homeless individuals, about 19% higher than the national average) 

Why is an alternative to traditional affordable housing necessary?

All around the country, communities are finding it more and more difficult to secure funding to increase affordable housing. While adding to a community’s permanent supportive housing is ideal, much depends on local officials being able to secure larger sums of money and administer larger numbers of housing vouchers. To exacerbate the issue, revenue generated from housing vouchers is usually collected by individual landlords scattered throughout the region rather than being redistributed back to support the entire range of services and support for the homeless — a funding mechanism which the Village is hoping to implement.  

Considering the fact that many recently housed individuals are unable to find employment and/or are able to reintegrate back into their community, it is evident that there needs to be a much more holistic approach to stabilizing these individuals and helping them become self-sustainable. The Tiny Home Village hopes to accomplish this by integrating services, employment, and housing all on a single site. Also, since the Tiny Home Village is using funds other than those provided by HUD (U.S. Housing and Urban Development), the Village has more flexibility in selecting residents and operating than HUD-funded communities. 

There is no discrimination against veterans, couples co-habitating regardless of marital status, same-sex couples, transgendered people, documentation, ethnicity, religious and/or political affiliation, gender, or sexual orientation. The Village does not accommodate minors. At this time, only dogs are allowed as pets.  

 All villagers are required to work with a peer-specialist, case manager, and/or occupational therapist to formulate and follow a personal strengths-based plan. All villagers participate in a 28-day trial residency period. The village is a self-governing model with oversight and support from the Albuquerque Indian Center, community stakeholders, providers and surrounding residents, with residents empowered to handle everyday resident and village needs. 

How You Can Help

Financial donations only are accepted to support the basic needs of the village and its residents. Your online monetary donation will help to welcome home and establish a village resident from the moment they arrive. Donations of all amounts are welcome and will be applied and/or combined for maximum benefit for the village residents, as needed. 

Thank you for supporting the Tiny Home Village project.

More information about this project at www.BernCo.gov/tinyhomevillage 

You can also contact:

Carolyn Chavez

Village Administrator

505-328-5513

carolync@bernco.gov