I was a lonely worm living in my car – now I’m a butterfly with a pad in a tiny home village where rent is free

A homeless woman has found refuge in a tiny home village where rent is free.

The $4.9 million tiny home village consists of 30 units and will be used as a shelter for homeless people during a transition period of 18 to 24 months.

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Dannette Todd managed to secure one of the 120 square meter units in the village in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

She has lived there for six months and says it has been a huge blessing.

“When I was sleeping in my car or with people from church, I felt like a lonely worm,” Dannette told local CBS affiliate KRQE.

Dannettee said she “didn’t know where to go, and then once I was there, it was like the cocoon I needed to feel safe, and now when I have my own place, I’m going to have my butterfly wings.” spread.”

Since February, Tiny Home Village managers said they have helped nearly 20 people transition into permanent housing.

There is also a waiting list of over 50 people, which is a big difference from when the village was founded in February 2021.

At that time, the village had strict rules that made it difficult for homeless people to move in.

“You used to have to have a certain level of sobriety to get in here,” Sarah Spain, director of the Tiny Home Village program, told the outlet.

“We’ve revised the criteria for moving in here, really just removing the barriers that people have when they’re unhoused or unsafe,” Spain said.

Just a year after opening, the village was almost empty and only four residents lived in the 30-unit property.

A lack of staff, 24-hour care and strict rules discouraged people from moving to and staying in the village, Bernalillo County told the outlet.

“We have really worked to restore the criteria and the interview process to get people who are unhoused into safe housing as quickly as possible,” Spain said.

Last February, the county restructured the program and units in the village began to be filled quickly.

They have lifted some sobriety rules and also waived the $30 monthly rent and utilities.

“Currently we are almost at capacity, so we have occupied 26 of the 30 houses, which is a great achievement,” Spain said.