NEW PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE ‘TINY HOMES’ IMPROVING LIVES IN WOODLAND

NEW PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE ‘TINY HOMES’ IMPROVING LIVES IN WOODLAND

FEBRUARY 14, 2023

 

Paul’s Place is not the only new permanent-supportive housing development welcoming Yolo County residents experiencing homelessness.

The vertical tiny-home village on H Street opened in Davis last week (though residents will not begin moving in for another month or two) and was celebrated by hundreds of community members and elected officials. The facility will be operated by Davis Community Meals and Housing and also includes emergency and transitional housing, as well as a service center.

But north of Davis, the city of Woodland is celebrating a similar accomplishment.

Sixty tiny homes are now fully occupied at the East Beamer Neighborhood Campus Project, a development that includes different types of shelter and services for the homeless.

Fabricated by Woodland’s own Cutting Edge Modular, and opened at the end of 2022, the tiny homes there are for those working to improve their circumstances.

“Living in the tiny homes has gotten me back on track in my life,” said one resident, Sabrina Truelove. “Living here allows me to love myself more deeply while I apply for employment within the neighborhood.”

The units come fully furnished along with support from on-site staff and regular case management from project partners Fourth & Hope, Yolo County and its service partner, Hope Cooperative.

Evidence suggests that permanent supportive housing is one of the most effective interventions to reduce homelessness, the city of Woodland noted in a press release, citing a recent randomized trial from UC San Francisco’s Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative that demonstrated permanent supportive housing helps chronically unhoused individuals get housed and stay housed much more effectively than comparable interventions.

At full buildout, the East Beamer Neighborhood Campus will provide temporary and permanent housing for 170 people and substance use treatment capacity for 60 people. The facilities will cluster around a shared green, a garden, and a community and health center. Fourth & Hope operates the 100-person emergency shelter and will operate the coming 60-bed Walter’s House treatment program, a facility that will break ground in 2023.

Yolo County Supervisor Gary Sandy, who represents the city of Woodland, said, “this project focuses on providing homeless services within a specialized housing community designed to stabilize and address individual homeless needs.

Local officials tour the East Beamer Neighborhood Campus Project, a community of “tiny houses” in Woodland. Courtesy photo

“Healthcare, shelter services and employment will all be available to tenants,” Sandy said. “It represents a major cooperative and collaborative effort between numerous governmental and non-profit agencies in our battle to eliminate homelessness.”

Others celebrating the campus included Woodland Mayor Vicky Fernandez, who said, “I am proud of the collaboration between the city of Woodland, Yolo County, the state of California, the Friends of the Mission and all private and non-profit agencies that have made this project a reality.

“We have invested in the East Beamer Neighborhood Campus because we believe in the opportunity it will provide those in need,” Fernandez said. “We are indebted to those who dedicated countless hours to help this vision become a reality for our community of unhoused residents. I hope that we are ‘the light in all the darkness’ for those struggling with life’s challenges and that we are providing a safe and healthy place for them to call home.”

The project was made possible, in part, by Dignity Health Woodland Memorial Hospital and its Homeless Health Initiative.

Dignity Health “is grateful to have contributed funding to the development of the East Beamer Campus,” said Gena Bravo, president and CEO of Woodland Memorial Hospital.

“We have a long-standing commitment to collaboration and serving our community members who are experiencing homelessness. It’s amazing to see what a group of mission-oriented organizations and people can achieve together. I know that this program will have a lasting impact on the health and vibrancy of those served and our community.”

One of those who has been key in serving that community is Doug Zeck, executive director of the Fourth & Hope shelter in Woodland.

“It wasn’t that long ago I stood in an empty field envisioning Fourth & Hope’s future,” he said. “I thought if we could bring homeless services together in one place, we could change many lives. Three years later, I stand in the same field surrounded by our 100-bed emergency shelter and a permanent supportive housing community home to 75 individuals. And just beyond that, I see the groundbreaking site for Walter’s House.

“This hub of hope is built by the collaboration and support of this community and agency partners,” he said. “It has changed the trajectory of our neighbors experiencing homelessness while providing a model for a homeless service campus.”

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