More residents set to move into Tiny Home Village

BERNALILLO COUNTY, N.M. — The five people living in Bernalillo County’s Tiny Home Village are about to get some new neighbors.

Five more will move into their new homes next month.

“Then we will move to having a few every few weeks until we get to capacity,” said Carolyn Chavez, the village administrator.

The village’s capacity is 42. They will all now have access to mental and behavioral health services, and case management. The village hired some of those new positions after county commissioners approved $500,000 in additional funding for the community this past March.

“They’ll help folks identify their goals that they need to move toward housing stability and a more permanent solution,” said Chavez. “Different goals will take different amounts of time. So people may be here from two months to two years and we’re willing to work with them for however long it takes.”

Commissioner Adriann Barboa has believed in the project since the beginning.

“We want to make sure that as we have this beautiful space, that we’ve invested in the property, and the infrastructure, that we have the programming right to actually be successful,” said Barboa. “We all are witnessing the impacts of our unsheltered neighbors in the streets, out in communities, so this is one puzzle piece to a larger puzzle.”

She says the tiny homes won’t fix the county’s issues with homelessness, but reaching capacity will be a good first step.

“This hopefully provides a space in that ring, in that ladder, getting to independence and permanent living, right, that this is a temporary place for folks to get their ground, get some resources and services, to be successful in their next move,” said Barboa.

The community is working with UNM and local dentists to bring in more health services.

There are still 65 people on the village’s waitlist.