GOSHEN, Calif. — A first-of-its-kind homeless project celebrated its grand opening in rural Tulare County on Thursday.
The Neighborhood Village, located in the community of Goshen, contains more than 50 mobile home units and offers a unique approach to one of California’s thorniest problems.
There’s treatment for substance use and mental health issues. But also movie nights, a dog park and professional kitchen – places where residents can build community, learn skills and even sell their wares.
On the opening day, Angela Estrada walked up the steps to her single-wide mobile home unit that she will share with her 14-year-old daughter; a “welcome home” sign hung from the terrace.
It’s an image Estrada says was unthinkable just two years ago, when she lived on the streets and struggled with a fentanyl addiction.
“It changed my life. Just knowing that I belong here, and I’m welcome here, and there’s going to be resources for me to catapult me forward in life,” a tearful Estrada, who will soon celebrate 90 days of sobriety, said. “I can’t wait to get my associate’s, maybe bachelor’s [degree], and pour everything right back into this community.”
The nonprofit Salt + Light partnered with Self Help Enterprises to build the village. It’s modeled after a similar community in Austin, Texas, which prioritizes treating chronically homeless people with dignity.
“This is a special project because it’s not just affordable housing,” says Salt + Light president Adrienne Hillman, who adds staff will live on site to help residents with their specific needs.
“The hue and cry of Salt and Light is to say, ‘You can throw all the affordable housing dollars at things you want.’ But for people who are experiencing chronic homelessness, if we do not provide the care, we’re going to continue to have people cycle in and out of homes and units in affordable housing,” Hillman added.
Organizers are hopeful the village can be replicated in other rural communities as California grapples with an affordable housing crisis. In Tulare County, the unhoused population has grown to just over a thousand people, according to the most recent count.
