BernCo Tiny Home Village mostly full, with long waitlist
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Taxpayers have waited and waited to see funding pay off at Bernalillo County’s Tiny Home Village. Two and a half years after opening, that day may finally be here.
19 of the 30 homes in the village are occupied right now.
“It is doing what it’s supposed to be doing. And so it’s a dream come true for us,” said Pamela Acosta, the senior manager of the county’s behavioral health initiative.
The county filled a majority of its ten open staffing positions in recent months, so villagers are now getting the help they need from day one.
Acosta says partners funded through the behavioral health initiative are playing vital roles in getting villagers everything from addiction treatment to job training.
Taxpayers have waited and waited to see funding pay off at Bernalillo County’s Tiny Home Village. Two and a half years after opening, that day may finally be here.
“We don’t require complete sobriety. We just have the agreements that you attend groups, and you work with a case manager so that you can gain the skills towards permanent housing,” said Acosta.
The county also opened the application for one week in June and got 132 applications. But Acosta says the number is fluctuating quickly, as villagers get permanent housing vouchers.
“We are housing individuals faster than we can fill the homes. Since February, we have had 13 move-outs and 13 move-ins. And that’s a good thing. These folks are obtaining permanent housing,” said Acosta. “We have individuals that are here for four months, we have some that are up to maybe six months or a year, but they’re moving out a lot quicker as housing vouchers are becoming available.”
Acosta says they plan to fill the eleven remaining homes in the next 45 days.