A $1.7 million prefab tiny home community was designed to help solve homelessness in an expensive Southern California city. A year later, half of its residents have found homes.

Brittany ChangSep 2, 2023, 18:04 IST

Of the 66 people who have stayed at DignityMoves' Santa Barbara prefab tiny home community, 36 have gone on to find permanent housing.DignityMoves

One year ago, DignityMoves opened a prefab tiny home community to house Santa Barbara, California's unsheltered residents.
Of the 66 people who have stayed at the community, 36 have gone on to find permanent housing.

It's been one year since a prefabricated tiny home community designed to temporarily shelter the unhoused residents of Santa Barbara, California has opened. More than half of its residents have gone on to find permanent housing.

Santa Barbara is a slice of oceanside paradise in Southern California, about a two-hour drive north of Los Angeles. As you might expect, it's as picturesque as any coastal and expensive Southern California city.

But what most pictures of quaint Santa Barbara might not show you is that its county is also on track to becoming a safe haven for people who are unsheltered, so long as nonprofit DignityMoves has its way.

Let's rewind one year to July 2021.

Image Courtesy of Alex Siegel, My Mosaic

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

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.

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

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.

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 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

Inside, the units have the same comforts as a college dorm.

DignityMoves

And most importantly, there are locks on every door.

DignityMoves

"We take for granted what it feels like to be able to be alone," Elizabeth Funk, the founder and CEO of the nonprofit, told Insider.

Image Courtesy of Alex Siegel, My Mosaic

These interim residents also have access to several community-oriented spaces.

DignityMoves

And the on-site restrooms, showers, and laundry facilities help keep its residents clean and healthy.

Image Courtesy of Alex Siegel, My Mosaic

It costs the DignityMoves about $35,000 a year per person to run this location.

DignityMoves

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

DignityMoves has needed to relocate about 16 of its residents to other facilities like treatment programs or psychiatric care.

DignityMoves

Besides this downtown Santa Barbara community, the nonprofit operates additional locations in Sonoma County and the Bay Area, including San Francisco.

DignityMoves

This location has been such a success story, Funk says DignityMoves is now trying to build an additional roughly 400 beds across Santa Barbara County with help from the local government, a roughly $20 million project.

DignityMoves

This location has been such a success story, Funk says DignityMoves is now trying to build an additional roughly 400 beds across Santa Barbara County with help from the local government, a roughly $20 million project.

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A $1.7 million prefab tiny home community was designed to help solve homelessness in an expensive Southern California city. A year later, half of its residents have found homes.

Let's rewind one year to July 2021.

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.

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.

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.

The property's tiny homes were built by Los Angeles-based Boss Tiny House. About 20% of them are occupied by couples.

Inside, the units have the same comforts as a college dorm.

And most importantly, there are locks on every door.

"We take for granted what it feels like to be able to be alone," Elizabeth Funk, the founder and CEO of the nonprofit, told Insider.

These interim residents also have access to several community-oriented spaces.

And the on-site restrooms, showers, and laundry facilities help keep its residents clean and healthy.

It costs the DignityMoves about $35,000 a year per person to run this location.

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 has needed to relocate about 16 of its residents to other facilities like treatment programs or psychiatric care.

Besides this downtown Santa Barbara community, the nonprofit operates additional locations in Sonoma County and the Bay Area, including San Francisco.

This location has been such a success story, Funk says DignityMoves is now trying to build an additional roughly 400 beds across Santa Barbara County with help from the local government, a roughly $20 million project.