Tiny home development will serve homeless residents

By Jenna Wilson

The city of St. Joseph and Community Action Partnership are continuing to address the rising homeless population with the addition of a tiny home village coming to the South Side.

The property that sits at 2101 S. Eighth St. will be used as a housing development with 10 small homes on the property for those experiencing homelessness.

“The city is actively engaged in addressing concerns regarding the homeless in our community,” said Clint Thompson, interim city manager of St. Joseph. “We’re partnering with a variety of different agencies and entities to address that issue and this is not an issue that is unique to St. Joseph, but we’re looking to identify ways to help this demographic of our population locally and ensure that resources are being allocated to this concern in a timely fashion.”

The housing units are being implemented to support individuals going through a temporary or transitional homeless crisis who eventually can move into a permanent living situation.

One way of helping them achieve this transition is by offering case management services that will focus on skill development and employment stabilization.

“A lot of times, the homeless population that we’re seeing do have resources coming in of some sort and they’re willing to gain employment,” said Ashley Phillips with Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph. “So, the key is going to be case management, support and eventually getting to the point of them finding an apartment to rent.”

The purpose of starting with a smaller village is to ensure safety and security to eventually expand if the program shows a promising outcome, officials say.

“We want to make sure that the work we’re doing every day is actually making change,” Phillips said. “So we’ll start by occupying two or three of the units so we can work through the process and make sure that this area stays a safe but also effective place.”

The development of the tiny homes is still in its early stages, but Community Action partnership is accepting applicants who qualify under specific guidelines.

“We’re looking for individuals under the 200% poverty guideline and ones who don’t plan to stay there longer than nine to 12 months,” Phillips said. “The goal is to stabilize but we are accepting information from those who are interested.”

For those interested in a spot on the waitlist, Community Action Partnership can be reached at 816-233-8281.