A Bangor nonprofit’s proposal to turn the city’s largest homeless encampment into a tiny home village sparked many questions.
Last month, Bangor city councilors offered Dignity First, a local homelessness nonprofit, the opportunity to lease roughly 7 acres at 55 Cleveland St. before another entity. The site is currently home to the city’s largest homeless encampment, often called Tent City or Camp Hope, where more than 70 people live.
Jamie Beck, executive director of Dignity First, hopes to create a village of tiny homes on the land to be permanent supportive housing for people who are homeless after the city closes the encampment there.
Beck said she first introduced the plan to city leaders more than two years ago. Since then, she has worked to finalize how large the project would be, what the village would include and where it could be built.
While it’s still uncertain whether the plan will come to fruition, the proposal raises questions about how the community would look and function. Here’s what we know so far.
When will Tent City close?
The city plans to close the encampment by the end of the year after moving everyone living there to some form of housing or shelter, whether permanent or temporary. The city cited an increase in illegal activity there as the reason for the closure.
The land will then be cleared of debris before being potentially leased by Dignity First.
When could construction of the tiny home village begin?
Beck hopes to break ground on the first neighborhood of 20 tiny homes next year and open the first homes within a year of starting construction.
What would the village look like?
The tiny home village, called Homeful Village, would have three neighborhoods, each with 20 tiny homes, totalling 60 units.
The 24-by-12-foot tiny homes would have space for a bed and small living area along with a full bathroom, Beck said. There would be room for some food storage, a mini fridge and a microwave instead of a full kitchen.
According to Beck’s design, each neighborhood would have a hearth center with large shared cooking stations, laundry facilities and gathering space where residents can eat together, enjoy activities and socialize. Those hearth centers are intended to be where people gather to watch a football game or hold a birthday party, Beck said.
The village would also include an administrative building and three other larger community centers, one for each neighborhood, Beck said. Those community centers would host larger events such as recovery meetings, a craft fair or worship services.
Beck also hopes to add a “creative commons” space and village store that would function similarly to a convenience store. The store could also sell things residents learn to make in the creative commons space, such as pottery or jewelry.
Who would live in the village?
The village is intended to primarily house people who are homeless. However, Beck said some people who have never been homeless would be welcome to live in the village permanently.
These residents, called “intentional neighbors,” would live alongside people who were previously homeless, pay rent and provide extra stability to the community, Beck said.
What support services would be available to residents?
Beck plans to partner with more than a dozen organizations, including Penobscot Community Health Care, Penquis, Blue Sky Counseling, the Together Place, Dirigo Counseling, Maine Family Planning and the Bangor Area Recovery Network.
The organizations would offer residents on-site case management, recovery resources, medically assisted treatment and mental and behavioral health services to help keep them successfully housed.
Other nearby entities, like the Eastern Maine Development Corp. and Husson University, could offer residents workforce development opportunities and teach life skills, such as budgeting and financial management.
“If you don’t have money, you don’t have to remember or know how to make a budget,” Beck said. “We want to grow people’s individual skills and set them up for success through the future.”
Why build the village on that land?
The organization previously looked at other properties, Beck said, but there are very few pieces of city-owned land large enough, because the village needs roughly 20 acres of space.
The property must also be close enough to utility lines and resources residents need, such as city water and sewer lines, public transportation or grocery stores, especially if residents don’t have a vehicle.
“Because people are already living there, we know the land meets their needs and is close enough to resources like Penobscot Community Health Care and bus lines,” Beck said.
Why tiny homes?
The tiny homes are designed to give people who have been unhoused for a long time an introduction to living inside and independently again. The homes would be separated enough to give residents privacy and autonomy while still being close enough to foster a sense of community, Beck said.
Preventing residents from sharing walls would also help cut down on noise residents may produce, Beck said.
“It’s challenging to be a good tenant in a multi-unit building when people are still dealing with a lot of the trauma and the impact of being chronically unhoused,” Beck said. “If you’re in an apartment, you hear people above you and below you and next door to you, and you also have an impact on those people because they can hear you.”
Where did this idea come from?
Beck’s plan is modeled after a 51-acre development of 500 tiny homes in Austin, Texas, called Community First! Village, founded by an organization called Mobile Loaves and Fishes.
Like Beck’s design, the residents in the village in Austin live in tiny homes, but use shared kitchen and laundry space, among other facilities for residents.
The village, which opened in 2015, has an 85 percent retention rate, according to Beck, proving the model works.
How much would this cost?
The village would cost $25 million to complete, which Beck plans to pay for using federal, state and private funding. The organization plans to launch a capital campaign for the project by the end of the year, Beck said.
The nonprofit’s congressionally directed spending request for funding to cover the village’s infrastructure has been included in the Senate appropriations budget, which is set to be ratified when Congress is back in session, Beck said.
Beck said the village would also reduce costs for taxpayers, because it could reduce how often people who are homeless interact with police, emergency medical services and the criminal justice system.
“Ultimately, it will add to the tax revenue because we have people that will be stably housed and back in the workforce, which means they’ll be generating income and they have to pay income tax,” Beck said.
Would the homes be free?
The tiny homes would not be given to residents for free. Residents would need to pay monthly rent, which could range from $290 to $450, Beck said.
The village would accept housing vouchers, which Beck said would cover the difference from a fair market value housing.
The village would also offer workforce development programs through which residents would work on-site to earn an income. Those jobs could look like joining a maintenance crew or landscaping crew, Beck said.
Beck also plans to build a “maker space” on-site where residents could learn skills such as pottery or jewelry making and sell their creations for additional income.
“Everybody wants a place to belong and a reason to get up in the morning in a sense of purpose,” Beck said. “Opening up varied opportunities for people to do that is really important because it strengthens the community.”
What needs to happen next?
First, the city must complete its plan to close the homeless encampment currently on the land and move everyone living there into some kind of housing or shelter.
After that, the land must be cleared and cleaned before any development could be built there.
Beck will also need to finalize a long-term lease agreement with the city for the property, raise money for the village and gain Planning Board approval for the building plans before construction could begin.
What don’t we know?
It’s uncertain whether Dignity First will reach its fundraising goals, gain approval from all necessary city departments or whether there will be interest in living in the tiny home village.
