COLUMBUS, Ohio — Central Ohio may be booming, but our housing market isn’t.
The housing shortage is leaving some people vulnerable to homelessness, including local veterans, people released from prison and teens aging out of foster care.
Tiny homes could be the solution to a growing problem.
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Two new projects are in the works to address homelessness. One is in southeast Columbus called Vista Village.
“We have 41 total units. Vista Village is a place for people who want a second chance,” said Juan Jose Perez, a developer of Vista Village.
The homes, which are 420 square in size, will rent for $350 a month. Each person who lives in the tiny homes will be screened through community partners that serve those with mental health issues, drug use, GED preparation, vocational skills training, and other skills.
A community center built on-site will serve as the central location for training.
“Vista Village has partnered with local social service agencies who provide case management to people experiencing homelessness. When a partner agency has a client in need of housing who is ready to begin their journey towards healing, employment and self-sufficiency, he or she will be referred to Vista Village.” Perez said.
Everyone who lives here must hold down a job that they will be trained for, according to Perez.
“We have individuals coming in from homeless camps referred to us. We have individuals returning from incarceration. We have individuals coming in from recovery, kids aging out of foster care and veterans,” he said.
Each home is sponsored financially by a Columbus company and furniture is donated.
Vista Village is not permanent housing; It’s transitional housing. That means people who live here are here for between 18 and 24 months with the goal that they will have a job so they can afford their own home.
Vista Village hopes to have its first residents move in by Christmas.
A similar concept is being discussed in Circleville.
“We have a lot of veterans who need these additional services. They need longer times to gain stability and to have a community wrap around them so they can go out and be successful and keep housed,” said Fallon Kingery with the Pickaway County Community Action Agency
Plans are in the works to build tiny homes in Circleville for homeless veterans the organizers ballpark at 50.
“We know the numbers are much higher than that,” Kingery said.
Creating a permanent housing solution for the unhoused is a longtime goal of PICCA Executive Director Becky Hammond.
A sense of urgency to do something locally has grown with the number of people considered homeless, increase in rent prices and a shortage of affordable housing in the county.
An annual point-in-time study conducted by PICCA in January showed that the number of unhoused people in Pickaway County increased by at least 8% between 2023 and 2024.
Today, homeless veterans live in a building on Ohio Street with a common kitchen and TV room. In the near future, they could live in a tiny home compound on the former two-acre property that was once Mount of Praise Campground.
The project is a collaboration with students from The Ohio State University Knowlton School as part of its capstone project. Their research involved looking at tiny home projects across the country to see what would work best locally.
Circleville Mayor Michelle Blanton said if the community doesn’t act soon to address homelessness among veterans, the city will continue to not have adequate housing.
Organizers hope the housing project will be approved by the city council so that they can then seek funding.