Sep 2, 2023

Image Courtesy of Alex Siegel, My Mosaic At the time, DignityMoves had just completed its new tiny home community in downtown Santa Barbara. In a former parking lot flanked by palm trees, blue skies, and views of the mountains, 1016 Santa Barbara stood — and still stands — as a secure community for unhoused folks in the downtown area. DignityMoves The tiny home community , located about 1.5 miles from the coastline, cost $1.7 million to build in 2022. Santa Barbara County provided $700,000 to help finance the build while companies like Ikea donated furniture. Advertisement Advertisement The community was designed to serve as interim housing, a way for previously unsheltered people to transition into the next phase of their life — permanent housing. DignityMoves Before moving into the 34-home village, residents were previously sleeping on the streets in the immediate neighborhood. And over the course of one year, the sunny collection of tiny homes has blossomed into a success story for the nonprofit and its residents. Image Courtesy of Alex Siegel, My Mosaic The community has housed 66 people since its opening. Of those, about 36 people have moved into permanent housing, a spokesperson told Insider in an email. And there's still plenty of work left to do: The nonprofit estimates there are about 3,500 people who are unhoused in Santa Barbara county. Advertisement Advertisement The property's tiny homes were built by Los Angeles-based Boss Tiny House. About 20% of them are occupied by couples. Image Courtesy of Alex Siegel, My Mosaic All of these green-accented homes are topped with terracotta-colored roofs, giving them a tiny accessory dwelling unit flair. Inside, the units have the same comforts as a college dorm. DignityMoves They all have a bed, a window, a desk with a chair, and an air conditioner and heater. Advertisement DignityMoves Besides the resources provided to the residents, this cost also includes additional services like property maintenance. According to Funk, only a small percentage of people who end up unsheltered start with existing mental or behavioral issues that stop them from being "self-sufficient." DignityMoves But the more time these folks spend on the streets in survival mode, the more this percentage "goes skyrocketing fast." So by the time they've been unhoused for five or six years — which Funk says is about the average in Santa Barbara — the number of them who have "serious behavioral health issues" becomes much higher. Advertisement Advertisement DignityMoves has needed to relocate about 16 of its residents to other facilities like treatment programs or psychiatric care. DignityMoves But for the most part, Funk has seen "shocking transformations." Besides this downtown Santa Barbara community, the nonprofit operates additional locations in Sonoma County and the Bay Area, including San Francisco. DignityMoves