The first village with tiny houses for the homeless opened in San Francisco: the city pays for their housing, food and utilities

The first settlement with tiny houses in San Francisco for the homeless opens. At $15 a home, the city says it's cost-effective, reports San Francisco Chronicle.

Photo: Shutterstock

A week ago, Ryan Bauer was camping on hard pavement on Gough Street south of Market. Now he lives on the same sidewalk, only with a big makeover: he's moved into his own tiny house with a mattress, a desk, a chair, and, most luxuriously, a heater that quickly warms up his six-square-foot dwelling. This is almost as important as the front door, which is locked from the inside and a combination lock from the outside.

“It’s definitely a lot warmer there, and I don’t have to worry about my stuff being taken,” said Bauer, 45, known on the street as “Nobody.” “I didn’t have a safe place where I could leave my things without them being stolen.”

Bauer has been homeless for 30 years since he left Illinois at the age of 17. He is one of 30 men and women who have been moved from a tent city on a city-leased lot to tiny structures where they can live for at least a year. Ultimately, the site will have 70 apartments in modular duplexes.

The site at 33 Gough Street, between Market and Mission Streets, has been used as a city-sanctioned "safe sleeping village" since December 2020, with 44 tents for the homeless.

Elizabeth Funk, 52, is the founder and executive chairman of DignityMoves, a nonprofit created during the pandemic to fight the crisis on the streets. In less than a year, she raised $2 million to build a total of 70 rooms in prefabricated duplexes, assembled on a steel frame foundation, with insulation and electrical outlets. The site will include upgraded bathrooms, storage space and a dining area.

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The cabins, as well as the dining room and other facilities, will be paid for by DignityMoves and the non-profit Tipping Point Community as part of a pilot program. The cost to build each unit is about $15, but with amenities such as two dining rooms, toilets, a computer, and landscaping, that comes out to $000 per unit. The city will pay for food, security and support services.

The city spends about $60 per safe bedroom village house, including food, security and support services.

The site, known as DignityMoves Village, is San Francisco's first experiment with tiny houses, and has been used in Oakland, San Jose and other Bay Area cities.

The first 12 residents moved into rooms decorated by volunteers with homemade touches such as fleece blankets, artwork, throw pillows, toiletries baskets and welcome notes.

“Many residents have been imprisoned where everything is exactly the same, so they really appreciate the individual approach,” Funk said.

By the time the village is completed this spring, it will have 70 rooms and two dining rooms with three meals a day, provided by Mother Brown, a non-profit organization. Non-profit organization Urban Alchemy will provide security and support on site.

The land is owned by a private developer awaiting permission to build permanent housing. The City Department of Homeless and Supportive Housing is leasing it until at least March 2023, with possible extensions.

Shirin McSpadden, director of DHSH, told The Chronicle in September that if the pilot proves successful, the department "could replicate it in other parts of the city."

Everyone who has been living in a tent on the site for a year has been offered a room. Nobody refused.

"They said, 'Are you kidding me?'" said Everett Butler, co-CEO of Urban Alchemy. “They were very grateful to be able to come into their own space and lock the door behind them and turn on the heaters.”

A similar village is being built in Santa Barbara with a separate budget of $1,8 million, and other projects are being considered in the state.

“This is not a place where you would stay forever, this is a stopover while people are looking for a way out of homelessness,” said Funk, a Stanford graduate who runs an impact investing fund. Her donor base consists of her own contact list, along with foundations.

“This is not an alternative to permanent housing,” Funk said. "But it's an attractive alternative for people who are hesitant to go to group shelters."

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You'll still have to get used to it. Ryan "Nobody" Bauer slept in a chair for so long that he had trouble sleeping in a reclining position.

“I need to get used to sleeping on a mattress,” he said. But it's much better than usual. I was cold last night, I turned on the heater and it was just wow.”

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