{"id":3186,"date":"2017-08-18T16:30:20","date_gmt":"2017-08-18T20:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/?p=3186"},"modified":"2017-08-18T16:31:12","modified_gmt":"2017-08-18T20:31:12","slug":"church-builds-tiny-house-village-homeless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2017\/08\/church-builds-tiny-house-village-homeless.html","title":{"rendered":"Church Builds Tiny House Village For Homeless"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Volunteer<\/a>
(GRANT HINDSLEY, seattlepi.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Denver, Colorado is becoming a top ranked city in terms of giving their homeless population places to call their own. In part, thanks to a local church.<\/p>\n

St. Andrew\u2019s Episcopal Church of Colorado is pushing for the addition of a second tiny house village next to their church in downtown Denver. Though one hundred square feet doesn\u2019t sound like much for a home, compared to a bed in a shelter or a park bench it\u2019s a castle.<\/p>\n

The village would be almost identical to Denver\u2019s first tiny house village, the Beloved Community created by the Colorado Village Collaborative, except it would have eight little homes instead of eleven.<\/p>\n

Alongside community partners and volunteers and after months of construction, residents were able to move into the first ever tiny home village in Denver last May. Once moved in, the residents were able to get down to the business of living in their self-governed community. The village hosted a thank-you event in August and is looking forward to more. The village brought together a large array of local groups, including a Mennonite Church, Homeless Out Loud, and Denver\u2019s Interfaith organization.<\/p>\n

The village became such a success that St. Andrew\u2019s Episcopal Church of Colorado decided that they wanted to partner with the Colorado Village Collaborative to build a second tiny house village right on their church\u2019s campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter careful consideration, and a time of prayerful reflection, the people of St. Andrew\u2019s have decided to proceed with the proposed Tiny House Village,\u201d church leadership said in a news release, saying it had surveyed its parishioners last week and found support for the plan.<\/p>\n

It will be a women-only community.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people are more at-risk than others and it\u2019s our belief that women are more at risk,\u201d says Ally Dodge, the church\u2019s spokesperson.<\/p>\n

Due to city zoning laws not addressing tiny house villages specifically, the villages are required to move their \u201ctemporary sleeping units\u201d every 180 days. But, the church has been rallying for a change in city zoning laws. If so, the religious facility is hoping that they can begin construction as early as the coming months.<\/p>\n

The church says it has been working with \u201cmultiple departments\u201d in the city, with \u201cvery productive conversations.\u201d The group says it\u2019s committed to \u201cmeet their requirements for construction and development of this project, to the best of our ability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the church\u2019s neighbors are not in favor of the project, according to the church\u2019s written statement, with concerns including \u201csafety, sanitation, cooperative partnership and transparency.\u201d St. Andrew\u2019s announced that it would continue to engage with those neighbors to make the community a happy place for everyone.<\/p>\n

The tiny home planners say they\u2019ll start talking with the city over the next few months to define the next steps. City staff confirmed they are talking with the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe city\u2019s planning department is working with St. Andrews on their idea. We appreciate their creative approach to housing Denver\u2019s homeless. As Mayor Hancock has said all along, the city can\u2019t solve this by itself \u2014 partnerships are critical,\u201d wrote Amber Miller, a spokeswoman for Mayor Michael Hancock, in an email.<\/p>\n

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, though wishes the tiny homes were a long-term solution, made a statement saying \u201cWe\u2019ve got to get more people into safe spaces, and if this is going to serve as a safe space for some people, then we support it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dodge agrees. \u201cIf we can temporarily house people who are on a waiting list for affordable housing for six months as they move through the system … then let\u2019s do it because it\u2019s better than them backsliding or getting violated or killed.\u201d<\/p>\n