A beach town in North Carolina is tackling homelessness by providing its unhoused residents with new homes.
As detailed by Good Good Good, nearly 650,000 people are unhoused across the United States and have to use shelters or sleep outside, according to data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. People may experience homelessness for many reasons, including the rising cost of living, domestic violence, addiction, incarceration, and medical issues.
The problem has only gotten worse since the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting some new and creative solutions. For instance, a nonprofit organization has constructed a neighborhood community of tiny houses in Wilmington for dozens of unhoused people. According to the report, homelessness in the city has reached "epidemic" levels.
|
Do you think America is in a housing crisis? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Definitely 
The project started in 2020 with a group of volunteers who wanted to help their neighbors. They teamed up with Eden Village, a nonprofit that built the first tiny home village for residents without homes in Springfield, Missouri.
The Wilmington residents had to go through an application process and meet certain requirements. They began moving into their new homes in late 2024 and pay a small monthly fee for rent and amenities in the neighborhood.
"Eden Village of Wilmington is a 31-unit tiny home community specially designed to provide permanent homes for chronically homeless individuals including patients of the local hospital," Eden Village says on its website. "Many patients of the medical center experience chronic illness, which are treatable but require consistent living circumstances to improve treatment results. A home is an essential component to long-term health care for these individuals and a proven, permanent solution to chronic homelessness."
Watch now: How did Hurricane Helene wreak havoc so far inland?
The nonprofit said most of its residents are incapable of moving to a fully independent stable home life and that if they "meet the minimum requirements and are a good neighbor to other residents, they are welcome to stay in their home," which is wheelchair accessible and furnished.
Tiny homes are a great solution for such initiatives because they are less expensive to construct, and their low energy usage is good for the environment — and the bottom lines of those paying utilities. Similar programs are also providing tiny homes to the unhoused, including in Atlanta, San Diego, and Thousand Oaks, California.
"Eden Village of Springfield forged the path for us, and we have partnered with them and their proven system, that shows us that dignity is the solution to poverty and community is the solution to homelessness," Eden Village of Wilmington said. "Eden Village offers dignified living and supportive community in a gated, fingerprint controlled, pedestrian-only, courtyard development setting benefiting those who live there and the Wilmington community."
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
TCD Picks » Upway Spotlight
Upway makes it easy to find discounts of up to 60% on premium e-bike brands
Cool Picks
