What I saw at a Texas tiny home village that could be copied in Des Moines

I spend my Wednesday afternoons volunteering at the Joppa Homeless Resource Center in Des Moines. Along with other volunteers and staff, I greet folks who come to access resources and referrals, check their mail, and receive supplies like hygiene items, clothing, and food.

My first question after saying hello is, “Are you living outside, inside, or in a car?” Most folks tell me they are living in tents or on the streets. We ask them if they have been through Centralized Intake at Primary Health Care to see if they qualify for free or subsidized housing. Most are on the waiting list — some have been waiting over a year.

The problem is that over 750 homeless individuals are already on the waiting list who are qualified for government-funded housing, but there are not enough affordable housing units available, and not enough units are being built.

Joppa recently purchased 21 acres of land and plans to replicate Community First! Village model in Austin, Texas. This village has successfully provided permanent homes for nearly 500 chronically homeless individuals. Joppa believes this model offers a fundamental solution to homelessness and has been visiting CF!V to learn from their staff for eight years.

In April, 16 community leaders visited this village in Austin, including Des Moines City Council member Mike Simonson and former state representative and Urban Dreams founder Wayne Ford. The group was led by Joppa founders Joe Stevens, Jacki Stevens, and their son, Caleb Stevens, who started weekly outreach from their garage 15 years ago. My wife, Claire, and I were among those invited to attend.

Our full day in Austin included a tour of the tiny home community and meetings with its staff, including its founder and CEO, Alan Graham.

I was struck by hearing Joe Stevens remark that he doesn’t like the term "unhoused," as it assumes the problem is just providing housing. I’ve learned from my volunteer work that moving from living outdoors for years to housing is not usually an easy transition. One man set up a tent in his apartment, while another left his windows open even in the coldest weather.

The difference with the CF!V model is that it’s relational rather than transactional. The village provides housing and programs and, most importantly, fosters a community atmosphere that unites residents in support of each other. The village has a medical clinic, a market, a community garden, and transportation into the city.

Residents are respectfully called "neighbors" and have opportunities to work various jobs in the village and pursue artwork, such as painting, ceramics, and jewelry making. Neighbors sell their artwork and assemble jewelry for a well-known jeweler. Neighbors can work on the local farm that provides fresh food for the community. There is a greenhouse, and some neighbors landscape around the village.

Hospice care is provided on site to neighbors, and we were impressed by the memorial garden for neighbors who died while living in the village. The average lifespan is only 60, with many neighbors having multiple medical issues.

To qualify for the Austin Village, people must have lived in the area for more than one year and be classified as “chronically homeless,” which means they have a documented mental or physical health disability and have typically been homeless for a year or more straight. All neighbors pay rent, which is privately subsidized and affordable, covering only 25% to 30% of the living costs in the village, with the balance paid for by private funds.

The staff we met were motivated by the teachings of Jesus to feed and house the poor and homeless, but there is no religious litmus test for homeless folks to live there or be accepted.

I recall one man they call "the mayor" who didn’t leave his tiny home for months. Over time and through ongoing outreach, he eventually began connecting with his neighbors — now that he walks around and knows everybody.

The “tiny” homes in Austin are 150 to 350 square feet, with many requiring a short walk to bathrooms and well-furnished kitchen facilities. (Note: Due to Iowa’s extreme winters in Des Moines, all Joppa Village homes will have bathrooms and kitchenettes, with a community commercial kitchen nearby.)

Some staff members also live in the village to serve and be in community with the formerly homeless, including families with children. I was impressed with the cleanliness and safety of this village community and the quality of the homes. It was a place neighbors were proud of, a place my wife and I would be proud to live and call home.

Joppa is collaborating with more than 100 partners to bring this village model to Iowa. Des Moines will do well supporting Joppa in replicating the Community First! Village model in a way that works for our climate and residents.

Dr. David E. Drake is an Iowa psychiatrist who works with Native Tribal members in southwestern Colorado. Contact: drakeoffice@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Texas tiny home approach to homelessness could be used in Des Moines