Woman wants to build tiny home villages for Colorado Springs homeless population

Over the past few years, the homeless camp clean-ups have been regular sights in the Pikes Peak Region.

One woman is taking steps to find a permanent place for the homeless to have a roof over their head to stop the cycle of cleaning up a camp, people moving elsewhere, and having to clean up that spot.

“It’s a proven plan that works,” Juliette Parker said.

Parker has a non-profit titled, MENDA, or Meaningful Empowerment through New Development and Art.

She’s hoping to create tiny home villages for those experiencing homelessness. The goal is to have a community of the homes for shelter, but also have services to address the root causes of homelessness.

“Tiny home village kind of address the homeless issue while also addressing the affordable housing issue,” Parker said.

The goal is to get people off the streets and working to stay off.

“No one is getting a free tiny home. We’re giving them stabilization. The skills they need to stay stabilized and the option of either having us help them find another place, or being able to just pay rent and stay there,” Parker said.

Parker said she’s working to get five acres of land to build the tiny home village.

She said she wants to start first with a village for veterans, then will expand to children and families, and go from there.

She estimates the veteran village will cost $375,000 to house 60 homeless veterans, not including the cost of the land.