Los Angeles Opens Its First Tiny Home Village for Homeless
2021-03-19
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1Amy Skinner watched as workers began building tiny colorful structures across from a park where she sometimes slept in North Hollywood.
2Tiny homes are being used for housing in costly areas of the United States.
3Others have joined the "tiny house movement" to live a simpler life.
4In Los Angeles, California, tiny homes are now being used as temporary shelters for people like Amy Skinner.
5 She has been homeless for three years.
6In early February, Skinner received the key to one of the 39 tiny homes on Chandler Street.
7She and her partner, John Golka, moved into the 6-square-meter space with their little dog, Smalls.
8The tiny home has four windows, two beds, places for belongings, and an air conditioner.
9The welcome mat at the front door says: "This is our happy place."
10"Being able to lock the door and have a place to sleep is huge," said Skinner who is 48 years old.
11She added, "That's so hard to do when you're on the streets."
12The tiny home village also has community space, including tables where people can eat and an area for toilets and showers.
13The project was developed and paid for by the city of Los Angeles.
14It is part of an emergency effort to solve the worsening homelessness crisis.
15Similar projects went up in other California cities, including San Jose and Sacramento, and also across the United States in Seattle, Washington; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Des Moines, Iowa.
16In 2020, there were about 66,400 homeless people in Los Angeles County.
17That number is an increase of more than 12 percent from a year earlier.
18More than 150,000 people are homeless across the state of California.
19The pandemic has forced even more people onto the streets.
20Homeless shelters had to turn away people to maintain social distancing rules.
21A 2016 measure to pay for homeless housing has not started.
22So, officials began looking for ways to solve the problem.
23City officials selected the land on Chandler Street for the tiny home village because it could not be used for anything else.
24Not everyone supported the plan.
25The officials had to promise nearby neighbors that the village would be safe and clean.
26Ken Craft is head of the non-profit Hope of the Valley which operates Chandler Street village.
27He asked worried neighbors if they would rather have the tents or the tiny homes on the land.
28He said the village offers services that can help people out of homelessness.
29They include mental health treatment, legal aid, and help with job searches.
30Amy Skinner is getting her Social Security card, which she hopes will help her find a job.
31The tiny homes cost $7,500 each.
32And the cost for the entire project was $5 million.
33Hope of the Valley is building two more villages in North Hollywood.
34More are planned in other neighborhoods.
35Pete White is director of the Los Angeles Community Action Network.
36He said the tiny homes of Chandler Street are too small.
37He said his group is developing a similar community with slightly larger homes for homeless people.
38"We know that we can't build ourselves out of the crisis. But we are learning that you can make progress," he said,
39"if you can show that projects like these actually work."
40At Chandler Street, the housing is temporary.
41The goal is for people to stay a few months and then move on to permanent housing.
42Ted Beauregard is one of the first persons to stay in the tiny homes.
43The 63-year-old became homeless for the first time when the pandemic stopped his business.
44He plans to leave in April.
45"I'm using this as a stepping-stone," he said of his tiny house.
46I'm Anna Matteo.
1Amy Skinner watched as workers began building tiny colorful structures across from a park where she sometimes slept in North Hollywood. 2Tiny homes are being used for housing in costly areas of the United States. Others have joined the "tiny house movement" to live a simpler life. 3In Los Angeles, California, tiny homes are now being used as temporary shelters for people like Amy Skinner. She has been homeless for three years. 4In early February, Skinner received the key to one of the 39 tiny homes on Chandler Street. She and her partner, John Golka, moved into the 6-square-meter space with their little dog, Smalls. 5The tiny home has four windows, two beds, places for belongings, and an air conditioner. The welcome mat at the front door says: "This is our happy place." 6"Being able to lock the door and have a place to sleep is huge," said Skinner who is 48 years old. She added, "That's so hard to do when you're on the streets." 7The tiny home village also has community space, including tables where people can eat and an area for toilets and showers. 8The project was developed and paid for by the city of Los Angeles. It is part of an emergency effort to solve the worsening homelessness crisis. Similar projects went up in other California cities, including San Jose and Sacramento, and also across the United States in Seattle, Washington; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Des Moines, Iowa. 9In 2020, there were about 66,400 homeless people in Los Angeles County. That number is an increase of more than 12 percent from a year earlier. More than 150,000 people are homeless across the state of California. 10The pandemic has forced even more people onto the streets. Homeless shelters had to turn away people to maintain social distancing rules. A 2016 measure to pay for homeless housing has not started. So, officials began looking for ways to solve the problem. 11City officials selected the land on Chandler Street for the tiny home village because it could not be used for anything else. Not everyone supported the plan. The officials had to promise nearby neighbors that the village would be safe and clean. 12Ken Craft is head of the non-profit Hope of the Valley which operates Chandler Street village. He asked worried neighbors if they would rather have the tents or the tiny homes on the land. 13He said the village offers services that can help people out of homelessness. They include mental health treatment, legal aid, and help with job searches. Amy Skinner is getting her Social Security card, which she hopes will help her find a job. 14The tiny homes cost $7,500 each. And the cost for the entire project was $5 million. Hope of the Valley is building two more villages in North Hollywood. More are planned in other neighborhoods. 15Pete White is director of the Los Angeles Community Action Network. He said the tiny homes of Chandler Street are too small. He said his group is developing a similar community with slightly larger homes for homeless people. 16"We know that we can't build ourselves out of the crisis. But we are learning that you can make progress," he said, "if you can show that projects like these actually work." 17At Chandler Street, the housing is temporary. The goal is for people to stay a few months and then move on to permanent housing. 18Ted Beauregard is one of the first persons to stay in the tiny homes. The 63-year-old became homeless for the first time when the pandemic stopped his business. He plans to leave in April. 19"I'm using this as a stepping-stone," he said of his tiny house. 20I'm Anna Matteo. 21Christopher Weber reported this story for the Associated Press. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. 22_______________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24park - n. a piece of public land in or near a city that is kept free of houses and other buildings and can be used for pleasure and exercise 25tiny - adj. very small 26key - n. an instrument by which the bolt of a lock (as on a door) is turned or by which an engine is started 27welcome mat - n. a small rug that is placed by the door of a person's house, apartment, etc., for guests to wipe their feet on before entering 28lock - n. a fastening (as for a door) in which a bolt is operated (as by a key) 29table - n. a piece of furniture consisting of a smooth flat slab fixed on legs 30toilet - n. a large bowl attached to a pipe that is used for getting rid of bodily waste and then flushed with water 31shower - n. a bath in which water is sprayed on the body or a device for providing such a bath 32tent - n. a portable shelter that is used outdoors, is made of cloth (such as canvas or nylon), and is held up with poles and ropes 33stepping-stone - n. a means of progress or advancement