Right next to the train tracks at the Van Nuys Amtrak/Metrolink Station, a portion of the nearby parking lot has been converted into new Tiny Homes with 100 beds that will begin housing people experiencing homelessness.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of the site was held by Hope the Mission, a nonprofit that serves the homeless population and will be in charge of running the village, in collaboration with Los Angeles City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian. The new interim housing community, which took 18 months to construct, will have 50 private sleeping units that come with two beds, heat, air conditioning, electrical outlets and shelves.
People will start moving into the tiny homes on Monday, June 29, which is expected to reach full capacity by the end of the week.
The new site is in a unique position in that it’s located right next to another interim shelter for unhoused people, which is also managed by Hope the Mission. Built in 2022, this other shelter is built within a sprung structure – a highly durable, energy efficient building that can withstand severe climates – containing 200 beds, divided evenly between men and women.
In total, this Van Nuys area will be home to 300 people as they work their way towards permanent housing.
Rowan Vansleve, president of Hope the Mission, said that having these two shelters side-by-side is an incredible opportunity because each site has its own advantages. The shelter in the sprung structure is more communal, so people who really need to be close to the community – like those who struggle with addiction and need others close by in case they suffer from an overdose – can feel more comfortable.
The Tiny Homes Village, on the other hand, is for people who are more private and seek to have personal security, as the door for each unit can be locked. This can be especially true for women Vansleve said that in the nearly three decades he’s done this work, he’s never met a woman who was on the street for a serious length of time and wasn’t a victim of violence.
“You can have a little bit of autonomy [in the Tiny Homes], whereas on the other side, it really leans into the community, and both are incredibly important,” Vansleve said. “One isn’t better than the other. We need every weapon we can to end homelessness.”
This is the 35th shelter location for Hope the Mission, with another eight in the pipeline, Vansleve said. There’s already a wait list for the Tiny Home Village, with a priority for those already in the Second Council District – where the site is located.
Although undoubtedly a good thing that more beds are available for people who need them, Vansleve expressed the need for more.
“We’re gonna meet this homeless crisis head on, and we’re gonna get as many people off the streets as possible,” Vansleve said. “Nobody should be languishing on the streets in the United States of America.”
When projects like Tiny Homes are built near businesses or homes, there can be pushback from residents due to concerns that an increase in unhoused people in one area will result in a rise in crime and drug use, as well as cause a drop in property values.
But Nazarian said that any pushback from the community has been minimal.
“We didn’t hear too much concern because of the fact that there was already one existing [homeless shelter] at this location, and given the way that it was run, for the most part, we haven’t gotten negative feedback,” he said. “So we’re hoping that it’s going to continue that way.”
Similar to Vansleve, the councilmember added that more beds and housing units need to be built to bring people indoors. Getting unhoused individuals off the street is just the first step, he continued, with the next step being that their immediate needs are met, like food and safety. After that, they can focus on addressing other issues, including mental health and addiction.
“In some cases, it’s just someone needing temporary relief in order to be able to get back on their feet, and in others, it’s someone seeking permanent supportive housing because they may be at an age where they can’t go back to work, so there’s many different circumstances, and each one of them can be met with the appropriate resolution,” Nazarian said. “But first things first, they need to be in a safe environment. Once that happens, then we can go forward.”