Why a Tiny Home Village?
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Bridges to Hope recognizes that affordable housing is crucial to those who have been incarcerated for successful reintegration back into society. We are addressing this obstacle by developing a tiny home village that will provide permanent supportive housing for a total of 18 individuals and/or small families. Hope Village is a place for our neighbors, friends and family members to feel a sense of dignity and hope as they begin again. Living in a community that is aesthetically soothing gives them a sense of pride and also a vested interest in seeing the community succeed. Living in a tiny house is more comfortable and healthier than trying to live in a halfway house or isolated in an apartment. Having their own individual home differs from communal living solutions by giving each person a feeling of worth, therefore a great buy-in to their community village. We want to create a community dynamic where everyone is building each other up and making themselves a better person as a result.
One tiny village with 18 housing units will provide permanent supportive housing for individuals and small families. However, the impact of housing affects more than just these residents. The impact of Hope Village will overflow into the city by staff at Hope Village providing education, training, and support so residents can become contributing members of society. Tiny villages play a crucial role in helping the city move unsheltered people from dangerous conditions on the streets to a safe and supportive environment and on the path to stable housing.
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It Takes a Community to Build a Village
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This concept of a tiny home village has the planning infrastructure in place. There is a team of interested stakeholders, city council members, city planning and urban development directors, architects, laborers, the department of corrections, probation, parole, attorneys, and executive directors who all will be playing a role in creating the first tiny home village in Lincoln, Nebraska. The City of Lincoln and Bridges to Hope signed a purchase agreement for property that had been vacant for several years on North 27th and Leighton Avenue. This property has access to public transportation, grocery stores and necessary health and treatment programs. Hope Village is modeled after other tiny villages throughout the United States and personalized to fit the Lincoln community.
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The plan is to have those who are still incarcerated construct homes within correctional facilities. Upon completion, those who are at work release or work detail, will come to the property site and put the houses together. The benefit of utilizing those incarcerated for the labor is that they receive a lucrative skill set and hands-on training that can later be used in finding stable employment and the potential to live in a home they built after their sentence. We will be contacting local stores such as Earl May Garden Center, Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, Best Buy and Sherwin Williams, and others, to request in-kind donations of materials. There is also an experienced local developer who is willing to invest in this project and provide us with development resources.
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Bridges to Hope will provide staff for the Tiny Home Village. A Peer Support Specialist will provide one on one support and planning for each resident to ensure successful reintegration back into the community after incarceration. This will include life skills training, substance use and mental health support, employment support and future plans for stability. The Community Relations Coordinator will coordinate all aspects of Hope Village to include applications of residents, referrals, lease agreements, statistical maintenance and reporting, supervise all staff and volunteers, and participate as a guide for Village Council meetings. The Fiscal Agent will be responsible for all aspects of Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable and ensure all appropriate fees are being properly applied. This position will also assist in ensuring data is collected from participants. The Executive Director for Bridges to Hope will be instrumental in the development and oversight of the entire village.
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There will be a Village Council so the residents will feel ownership in the community and have a desire to ensure their community stays safe, healthy, and well managed. Representatives from the neighborhood association will be invited to join the Village Council and have input on policies, protocol and review of applicants. Bridges to Hope has joined the Clinton Neighborhood Association so representatives of the village can also invest in the local neighborhood as well.
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About Hope Village
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This village will be a self-managed community of cost-effective tiny homes for people being released from incarceration or moving out of transitional housing. The tiny home village model provides a collaborative, community-based approach to building and sustaining permanently affordable places to call home. It's an innovative form of permanent supportive housing that ensures long-term affordability, eases displacement pressures, builds community wealth, and reduces the cost and environmental footprint of housing. Bridges to Hope retains ownership of the underlying land, while residents manage the housing and improvements on the land. The result is a pathway to sustainable housing for people reentering society after incarceration.
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These tiny homes will range in size between 250-500 square feet, and each will have its own sleeping area, kitchenette, and bathroom with shower. Bridges to Hope will require a monthly lease payment of $1 per square foot, based on the size of the home. The resident will be responsible for their own utilities. There will be a common building that allows for a community gathering space, large industrial kitchen, laundry facility and meeting rooms for support groups or other program related activities. Adjacent to the common building will be Bridges to Hope's donation center. This will allow for daily oversight of the village by staff and volunteers and will have great accessibility to the tangible items needed to furnish the homes.​​ We also plan to include an open green space where the residents can learn to grow their own food in a community garden.
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The priority for residents selected to live in this community will be a group of applicants who are individuals, couples and small families who have been incarcerated and struggle to find landlords accepting of their background. However, we will open applications to the general homeless population, should there be houses available. Referrals will be accepted from probation, parole, department of corrections, Mental Health Association of Nebraska, other community organizations working with the re-entry population, as well as accepting self-referrals. An application will be completed by the potential resident and an interview will be conducted prior to acceptance.
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​​If you or someone you know might be interested in partnering with this exciting first for Lincoln, please email rhonda@bridgestohopene.org or call 402.420.5696 for more information.
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*Hope Village renderings courtesy of Architectural Innovations
