Homeless Youth Build East Bay Tiny House Village
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – Martin Luther King, Jr., Baptist minister and civil rights activist
Homelessness has been a challenging issue across the U.S. for many decades with a variety of solutions being implemented from city to city. Some organizations focus on helping the homelessness population as a whole and others have a heart for a specific section of that population.
Youth Spirit Artworks, an interfaith “green” art jobs and job training program in Oakland, CA became concerned as youth homelessness began to increase due to the crisis of affordable and accessible housing. After learning there were only 36 youth designated beds in shelters, they decided to take action by initiating a community campaign to build a Youth Tiny House Village in the East Bay area.
Rather than simply building the homes and inviting youth to live there, they went a step further to require the youth to help design and construct it alongside a team of volunteers using Habit-for-Humanity style builds. Sally Hindman, founder of Youth Spirit Artwork (YSA) understands this project won’t solve youth homelessness, but that Tiny houses are at least a part of the solution.
The Mercury News recently did an article about this initiative saying “The $1.2 million dollar project, managed by the Housing Consortium of the East Bay and funded by nonprofits, congregations and the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, will house 22 homeless youth, one manager, and two resident assistants.” The location of this completed Village should look something like this per the YSA website:
- Secure 8′ x 10′ Tiny Houses with
- Murphy beds
- windows
- skylight
- storage
- electricity
- furnishings
- heated floors
- On-site, clean communal bathrooms and showers
- A kitchen yurt for residents to cook weekly communal meals and securely store their own food
- Community gathering space for meetings
- Associated jobs training program through YSA
- Associated social services through YSA
- Restorative justice covenant and community process
- On-site Resident Assistants who live in the community
To read the full article on The Mercury News Website, click here.
If there’s one thing everyone in the world has come to understand during 2020 with the coronavirus pandemic it’s this: A financial crisis can happen out of the blue, and without the right support anyone can end up homeless.
We, at Sheltering Grace, assist homeless mothers and their babies, and welcome any donations to support the lades we serve. Please contact us at 678-337-7858 to learn how you can help. Each mother and baby will be truly grateful for your kindness.
Sheltering Grace Ministry, Ltd. is a 501(c)3 Ltd. non-profit ministry. We resolve the initial crisis of homelessness by providing mothers with a safe place to live during pregnancy. We also equip them with the tools they need to improve decision-making, enhance employment options, and increase family income to act responsibly as the head of their household. All of our services develop their self-reliance to progress to permanent independent living. Please join us in renewing and rebuilding the lives of these brave women – #Be1of5000.
