Imagine A City Where No One Sleeps Outside
Eden Village Of Wilmington , North Carolina is getting one step closer to house their cities most vulnerable. Eden Village of Wilmington will be a 32-unit tiny home community specially designed to provide permanent homes for chronically homeless individuals including patients of the local hospital.
On Wednesday, Eden Village’s first home was lifted into place with a crane. The property off Kornegay Avenue will eventually be a neighborhood of 32, 400-square-foot tiny homes designed to give a select group of chronically homeless applicants a permanent place to live.
The Salvation Army will be across the street providing health services, job training, and education.
People selected to live in Eden Village must have a history of chronic homelessness and a medical condition or disability. Once they’re in, they can stay for life, granted they follow the rules and are good neighbors.
Many patients of the medical center experience chronic illness, which are treatable but require consistent living circumstances to improve treatment results. A home is an essential component to long-term health care for these individuals and a proven, permanent solution to chronic homelessness.
Beautiful Collaboration
Local Hospitals
Families
Corporations
Churches
The local hospital, families, corporations and faith-based communities are in collaboration to make this unique solution possible. The hospital will help to identify homeless individuals that make frequent usage of emergency medical services but have conditions that are safely treatable off hospital grounds. Families, corporations, and faith-based communities will sponsor homes to fulfill cost requirements and fill in the gaps. They will also provide members for each new resident’s ‘Home Team’ comprising of individuals from the community who support the needs of an Eden Village resident.
The Salvation Army will be located just across the street from Eden Village, providing easily accessible health services, job training, and opportunities for residents to further their education.
Homelessness is a traumatic experience that forces individuals into constant survival mode. Eden Village gives residents a chance to transition back into a life of consistency and community. The pedestrian only, gated, courtyard community gives residents a chance to share their experiences in a safe environment and receive services from within their own neighborhood. The residents will experience a radical transformation in their lives, which will in turn spread to benefit the community.
The first Eden Village was created in Springfield, MO. Due to its success, the inspiration to create a long-term solution to chronic homelessness has spread across the nation. Eden Village of Wilmington is based off of that model and our management team has trained alongside the team in Springfield to ensure success within our community.
Modeled After Eden Village Of Springfield, Missouri
Be A Good Neighbor And Stay Forever!
How Does It Work?
How Are Residents Selected ? Criteria Includes:
- History of chronic homelessness for at least one year
- Chronic medical condition, physical disability or mental disability
- High cost to the public due to the use of public services
What Services Are Available For Residents?
Volunteer Medical Personnel including physicians, nurses, mental health support, substance abuse support and social support services.
Private Meeting Space for professional social work case managers and other group related support meetings.
Community Coordinator ensuring there are social activities, personal enrichment activities and skills training activities.
Community Center for group activities, library, computer lab, laundry room and food bank.
Do The Residents Live At The Village Free?
No—to encourage employment and personal income, each resident pays a fixed, monthly, and below market rental rate including utilities.
Can Couples Or Families Live In The Village?
No—each park model home is designed to be single adult occupancy.
How Long Can A Resident Live At Eden Village?
Simply put—forever. Most residents who live in the village are individuals who—due to their mental health, physical health, and other extenuating circumstances—are incapable of “graduating” from a program and gaining full–time stable independence. Residents may live at the village as long as they are a good neighbor to the rest of the village community.
“We believe housing is healthcare. We believe that the solution to poverty is dignity, and the solution to homelessness is community,” said Wilmington Eden Village co-founder Tom Brown.
Now that a model home has been delivered, their current focus shifts to using the first home to build the funds needed to continue. So far, eight of the 32 tiny homes are fully funded. Brown says they’ve raised more than $1,250,000, but they still have two million left to raise. Once they get another million dollars, they can begin the infrastructure portion of the project, putting in things like utilities and sidewalks.
Related: ‘Housing is healthcare:’ Wilmington project to help the homeless installs first tiny house
If the homes are for disabled people, how does a person with a mobility disability get up the steps at the front door?
I cannot answer for them, but of course they could build a ramp.