AN historic village of more than 400 affordable tiny homes is nearing completion, with the developers claiming it will offer a slice of the good life for less.
The neighborhood in Utah, created by The Other Side Village, is looking to serve as a community for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness.
Located in Salt Lake City, the neighborhood will provide “affordable, permanent housing,” in up to 430 small homes.
Each tiny house is expected to measure approximately 400 square feet for each resident.
In addition to their own private space, the residents will have their own bedroom, living space, bathroom with a shower, and kitchen with appliances.
Residents will not need to worry about walking into an empty home, as each house will be fully furnished – down to the fridge being stocked with food.
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Each bathroom will also be supplied with toiletries and other necessary items.
The Other Side has emphasized the importance of the neighborhood being affordable and permanent for its residents.
“This house will be theirs for the rest of their lives if they want to stay,” the community has said on its official website.
While the neighborhood is made up of tiny houses, the organization has detailed that they are not a “tiny home project.”
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In a statement, The Other Side Village says: “The size of the homes is the least important part of this effort.
“The key is not the physical structures, but the social system. The primary ingredient for success is creating a strong culture that lifts and changes all who are part of it.”
Scott Schulte is expected to move into the neighborhood after the homes are built and expressed his gratitude for becoming part of the community.
"One thing I learned is homelessness, drug addiction problems, and hurting people that you love — there's no, like, checkbox. It can be the rich, the poor, the educated — I've got my degree and all that stuff,” he told KSL.
“Drug addiction, it doesn't care. I cannot say, without the village, where I'd be right now. I don't even like to go down that rabbit hole.”
Schulte has called the process of building and starting the neighborhood “overwhelming.”
"You walk in there and you begin to envision, you have this sort of little vision like 'this might be my place,'" he said.
"But you see them completed and it's overwhelming, I don't even know how to put it into words. To even qualify for a home, no drug addiction ... you're back living the good life.”
Not only will the neighborhood put a roof over their residents' heads, it will also provide a larger supportive community with access to social services and a training school.
The Other Side Village did not immediately respond to The US Sun’s request for comment.
The neighborhood received approval to be built in October after a vote by the Salt Lake City Council.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall first proposed the neighborhood in 2021 and has continued to support its efforts.
The neighborhood will be located on a west-side, city-owned property at 1850 W. Indiana Ave.
This summer, the organization is building approximately 54 tiny homes for residents, as well as six homes for staff and 25 for nightly rentals, according to Desert News.
The rentals are expected to help generate revenue for the neighborhood, potentially covering 10 percent of operating expenses.
It costs approximately $90,000 to build and fully furnish each home, according to KSL.
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Eventually, the community is hoping to expand to up to 40 acres for all 430 homes.
The neighborhood’s groundbreaking took place on March 8 and the first phase is expected to be completed this summer.
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