Donate to the Tiny Homes Village Project

Go to: https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/RenoTinyHome

Text "Renotinyhome" to 71777

The homeless population continues to rise throughout Reno-Sparks as rents and home prices increase, according to official counts. The current homeless shelter and overflow shelter are full. A large tent has been set up to keep people warm. And a second homeless shelter is about two years away from construction. In the interim, the city of Reno wants to build a tiny house village to provide immediate shelter and community assistance to people living on the streets.

Earlier:Tiny house village for Reno homeless in the works

With a goal to raise $100,000 but ideally $250,000 total, the city and Volunteers of America, which runs the current shelter, hope to build 40 little houses as soon as possible. Donations will go to the VOA of Northern Nevada.

“A lot of people reached out and want to be a part of this, whether it’s donating money or doing construction of units or the site,” said Reno City Councilwoman Neoma Jardon. “I'm hoping the fundraiser will capture community interest. People want to partake in something tangible and see something making a real difference.”

Almost $5,000 has been raised online in the first few days. Living Stones Church also gave a check for $15,000.

Jardon has spearheaded the effort with VOA's Pat Cashell, the Abbi Agency, ACTION, RISE, ThisisReno.com, Northern Nevada HOPES and several other local nonprofits.

Jardon, Cashell and a few others visited a Seattle tiny house village earlier this year and saw success in immediately housing people. Taking people off the streets helps stabilize them by keeping people warm, healthy, clean, safe and fed, according to advocates of "housing first" at the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Tiny houses are usually about 120 square feet and meant for short-term transitional use while people receive treatment, case management and eventually seek employment.

Homeless people with pets are not allowed in the shelters and some people are resistant to the rules, bedtimes, chaos and theft in the shelter, according to previous RGJ interviews. The village would provide people private quarters with a bed and central kitchen, bathroom and shower facilities.

The land Jardon picked out is five acres on Sage and Fourth streets. It's the same land picked for the second homeless shelter and would allow later expansion and mobile services, such as health trucks, shower services and donation delivery. She said that a village could be constructed in three months once the funding is secured. Seattle used above-ground electrical and sewer to speed up construction time and keep the price lower.

Jardon said the community nonprofit fundraising allows people to donate to the project since people cannot donate to the city government. Annual fundraising efforts will help the coalition keep the village running. The current shelter run by the VOA uses money from the cities of Reno and Sparks and Washoe County while also accepting donations for additional projects, such as the Reno Works program.

In Salt Lake City, which is touted as a city that almost eliminated homelessness, its villages and housing are largely paid for by donations from the Mormon church.

Regular affordable housing apartments are in short supply as Reno Housing Authority and Housing and Urban Development funding has continued to disappear over the last few years. New construction is slow and the new tax reform bill might also limit affordable housing credits and funding for private developers.

In some cases, new projects are set aside for low-income earners and veterans, such as with the proposed Summit Club in south Reno. But many homeless people don't immediately qualify for that assistance.

Traditional affordable housing also separates existing homeless communities when, for example, one person out of a group of 10 receives housing, outreach coordinator Lisa Lee previously told the RGJ. Those people use their skills and resources to support each other, but losing someone in the group can hurt everyone. Tiny house villages might keep communities together so people can support each other instead.

The project still needs new ordinances from the city to support and manage new building codes, operation and procedures, but Jardon said she's confident the staff will research the best options and present them to council by January.

Jardon said that, once approved, the houses cost $3,000 apiece for materials, and volunteers can usually do most of the construction. She hopes the village can get up and running by the middle of next year or sooner.

“It’s a roof and a door but it’s security and shelter and that’s a big deal for people living out in the elements and on the river," she said. "We are in an emergency housing situation. Especially for our most vulnerable.”

Volunteers of America set up an online donation site to fundraise for the "Reno Tiny Homes Village Project." People can also donate by texting "Renotinyhome" to 71777 or by sending a check to the homeless shelter with attention to Pat Cashell and "Reno Tiny Homes Project" in the memo line.

Mike Higdon is the city life reporter at the RGJ and can be found on Instagram @MillennialMike, on Facebook at Mike Higdon, Reno Life and on Twitter @MikeHigdon.