After years of witnessing the struggles of those chronically experiencing homelessness, a group of volunteers decided to take action. Their vision is becoming reality this week as the first residents move into Eden Village of Kansas City, a tiny home community designed to provide affordable permanent housing and a path to self-sufficiency for those experiencing homelessness.
Located at 1001 Metropolitan Ave, in Kansas City, KS, the just-opened Eden Village is a gated community of spiffy 390-sq.-ft. tiny homes. Each fully furnished home includes a bedroom, bathroom, open living/kitchen space, and a large sitting front porch.
“We were just so heartbroken seeing people we cared about having to sleep outside in the cold and rain,” says Jennifer Schmidt, a volunteer board member on the project.
The neighborhood setting — with 21 homes currently built and plans for 23 total — offers a residential atmosphere far removed from life on the streets. Eden Village sits only yards away from a bus stop, allowing for mobility, and features a community center offering wrap-around and supportive services.
“For those who have hit rock bottom and want to turn their lives around, this gives them that chance,” says Phil Jorgenson, a founding member of Three Dog Night, the nonprofit organization behind Eden Village KC. “It’s not just a temporary fix, but a supportive community to help break the cycle of homelessness.”
The community will have several resources to help the residents of Eden Village get back on their feet. Groups like Care Beyond the Boulevard will provide healthcare clinics, and Wyandotte Behavioral Health will provide mental health and social services. The community will also have a mentor program called “Home Team,” where volunteers will spend time with residents to help acclimate them back into a traditional living situation.
The requirements to live at Eden Village are specific: Prospective residents must be chronically homeless (living outside for at least a year), have a disability of some sort, and have enough income to pay $375 per month to cover rent, maintenance, and utilities. For many, disability benefits alone make residency possible.
“A group of us were all serving together, and we had an idea for a spa day for the homeless ladies,” says Schmidt. “One woman had several hairdressers working on getting out knots [in her hair] over several hours. When we went to drop her back off at the camp she was staying at, she jumped out of the van and yelled into the woods, ‘Everybody come see me, I look beautiful!’ It just broke all of our hearts, so we got together shortly thereafter and said, ‘Let’s do something.'”
In 2019, after doing research, some of the volunteers drove to Springfield, MO, to visit Eden Village community. The Springfield location was one of the first tiny home communities for the chronically homeless, and the model has been replicated in multiple cities, including Phoenix, Louisville, and Tulsa.
Inspired by their visit to Springfield, the KC group founded the nonprofit Three Dog Night Charities, named after the old saying, “the colder the night, the more dogs you need close by to fight the cold.” They went to work making their local version a reality.
The group of volunteers (currently, the group has no paid staff) found a trailer park in KCK that had fallen into disrepair. They then raised funds from philanthropic sources and interested individuals to purchase the trailer park with plans to renovate it into Eden Village KC.
The project received an outpouring of support. Locals showed up to zoning meetings advocating for the project, major donors helped cover land costs and fund buildings like the village’s community center, and individuals and businesses donated time and materials to help complete Eden Village.
The property features homes on either side of a community center and a community garden. Beyond the physical locations, Eden Village strives to create a real community with resources to support its residents in transforming their lives. Case managers will help connect people to jobs, health services, and other needed assistance.
Jorgenson says that no matter how people end up living on the streets, having them living in a home is good for that person, but also saves municipalities money. He says that it’s estimated that Kansas City spends between $15,000 to $30,000 a year per homeless person.
“This kind of project, to give people back their dignity, is absolute for me,” says Jorgenson. “But for those that don’t see the issue like I do, well, we’re looking at saving the community roughly half a million dollars per year.”
After overcoming zoning and fundraising obstacles, the first residents have just started moving into Eden Village, with more prepared to follow soon. The community hopes to soon be at full capacity, providing a permanent home and supportive services to people who were previously chronically homeless.
If you want to get involved or know someone who may qualify to live at Eden Village, applications are still being accepted at EdenVillageKC.org.
