The Tiny Home Village in Albuquerque is receiving an additional round of funding to help people who are looking for a place to stay. The Bernalillo County Commission approved the village's request for $500,000 from the Behavioral Health Initiative. The money will be used to provide additional resources for residents.
The county already spent $5 million to build 30 tiny homes on Texas Street near Zuni Road. But, more than a year later, the majority of the homes remain vacant; only four of the 30 are occupied. More than 60 people are still waiting to be placed in the tiny home community.
The village stopped accepting residents when a lack of resources was realized after the first 30 residents moved in, KRQE reported.
“When they first opened the Tiny Home Village, 60 people applied,” Charlie Verploegh, assistant director of the Behavioral Health Initiative, told KRQE. “They stopped bringing them in because they realized they needed to provide more supportive services on site.”
The $500,000 approved by the commission will go toward hiring behavioral health professionals and case managers who are trained to address mental illness and substance abuse, which many of the potential residents suffer from.
Verploegh told KRQE that the eligibility criteria are also being revised so that only sober homeless people are accepted.
“If you’re in a position where you don’t have hardly any resources, you’re potentially living on the street, it could be really difficult to address a substance use disorder,” Verploegh said.
With additional funding secured, the commission will begin reviewing applications next month.
A portion of the funding will be used for continuous security services at the Tiny Home Village, according to KRQE.
