One Little Solution for a Big Problem

Pierce County, here in Washington state, is about to launch a new approach to homelessness. One that makes sense, at least in part, because it allows people to trade shame for pride. That’s a powerful exchange.

According to a recent article in the Seattle Times, Pierce County (which has the state’s largest homeless population after King County) has been inspired by “Community First! Village” near Austin, Texas to do something similar. That 540-unit “village” is made up of “tiny homes” and RV’s each spaced at least 10 feet from their nearest neighbor.

Ten feet may not seem like much, but it’s a heckuva lot more than listening to your nearest neighbors through a thin wall between apartments, or worse, the even thinner wall of a tent. The distance, and the stand alone nature of each person’s home, allow people who have experienced trauma or mental illness, a secure place of their own.

When I volunteered building tiny homes here in Seattle, one of the things that our supervisor told us was really important to future residents was that their tiny home would have a lock on the door. It meant they could keep their worldly possessions safe if they went out or were away. And it meant that there was a line of defense between against an often chaotic world outside.

After touring “Community First! Village” in Austin the folks from Pierce County, are gearing up for such a site of their own on a ninety-acre piece of land near Joint Base Lewis McCord. The Pierce County project will have 258 units.

Perhaps surprisingly, push-back to tiny houses has come from homeless advocates. The first director of the new King County Regional Homeless Authority, Marc Dones, regarded tiny homes as a stopgap that was unacceptable. He and KCRHA opposed tiny homes as substandard housing, which led to parking lots full of completed but vacant tiny homes. As of this writing, 250 completed tiny homes, made by volunteers, sit in a storage lot in SODO, awaiting use by the KCRHA and City of Seattle.

Dones’s objection has not proven out in the Austin experiment, which with 540 homes, is the largest of its kind in the nation. According to the Times article, and the first-hand observations of the Pierce County official, Steve O’Ban, what is striking is the dignity of Community First! Village. O’Ban visited there when sent on a mission to scour the country for good ideas and solutions that worked.

At Community First! Village O’Ban said he, “saw a dignified approach.” It was “reflected on the faces of residents who greeted him during his visit. ‘I was struck by the sense of hope and sort of almost cheerfulness,’ O’Ban said.”

Nevertheless, still others voice objections to the Austin experiment, and the one planned for Pierce County, because such a village will be distant from services and jobs. Or worse, it is seen as hiding the problem of homelessness and the people experiencing it. But it’s also a concession to reality: land prices in a city center rule out such projects. Moving to an outlying area is more affordable. Steps can be taken to deal with the distance, from dedicated shuttle vans to bus service and on-site services.

Working with Pierce County officials on the village is the Tacoma Rescue Mission whose Director, Dan Paulson, says “The single biggest factor that’s going to help people stay in housing is, ‘Do they feel safe there? And do they feel ownership?’”

Apparently, the folks in the Austin community feel both, safety and a sense of ownership. The sense of ownership is evident in their care of their residences. Pride of ownership and attractiveness replace the shame of living in garbage strewn tent encampments alongside busy city streets or in public parks. There’s more: when people feel safe connecting with others — becoming a community — is easier.

As I was pondering this story, my wife drew my attention to a book about the Japanese city of Kyoto, which she is reading. Kyoto is known for its temples and gardens, which are enclosed by beautiful walls. She read that “temple walls grew out of a Buddhist concept of the wall that protects from primal chaos.”

There it is, I thought. Sometimes you need a wall between you and chaos. Sometimes you need a place of your own, with a little distance from the neighbors. And in 21st century America, you need a lock on your door.

Communities like Community First! Village in Austin, and what is being planned in Pierce County, aren’t the one-size-fits-all solution for everyone who is homeless. But if we’ve learned anything in recent years, it is that there’s no single solution to a problem as complex as this one.

What has been done in Texas, and will now be replicated in Pierce County, is a good solution for some, if not many, who seek safety and a sense of security in a world where chaos can be all too close.