That’s the question, isn’t it? Whether it’s soaring heat or last winter’s snowstorms, how can we quickly help those who are unhoused stay safe and healthy as they wait for permanent housing?

Throughout our state, this is a growing concern. More than 30% of our entire nation’s unhoused people live right here in California and struggle to survive. 

Nevada County Home Path (NCHP), a small group of local advocates, spent 2022 engaged in community outreach to determine support for an all-inclusive large camp concept for local unhoused neighbors. Those community groups to whom NCHP volunteers presented gave the idea an average 90% approval. Hundreds more individuals found the NCHP website and endorsed the concept as well.

This past year, NCHP learned more:

  • Large tent camps with wire enclosures are not considered desirable or even acceptable by many of our unhoused folks, or by nearby neighbors. Nor would they provide adequate shelter in our climate.
  • Nonprofits and developers for unhoused people have realized smaller shelter communities of low cost, 8×10 private dorm-style rooms facilitate functional communities and make great fiscal sense.  Each room has electricity, heat, air conditioning, a window, bed, desk and, importantly, a door that locks. These villages, which include shared bathrooms/showers, kitchen, and 24/7 staff, and are now creating transitional shelter victories in Santa Barbara, Rohnert Park, Alameda, Oakland, San Diego, Sacramento, San Francisco and other cities (Seattle is just starting its fourth community). For one developer example, visit https://dignitymoves.org/
  • More than one local builder has offered to teach construction skills to the residents-to-be, making possible future jobs in construction, plumbing and electrical trades while helping to build the shelters. These apprentices could earn minimum wage in the meantime, potentially saving the project thousands of dollars.
  • Small villages find their sweet spot in sheltering 20-30 individuals; the residents then help create their own community. That connection and investment allows healing and trust as residents continue the wait for permanent housing, while getting their own lives in better order with support from case managers. 
  • Those in our community who live in their cars, campers or trailers desperately need a safe parking area with access to showers and restrooms. It has been wonderful that Madelyn Helling Library provides safe parking and more is needed. Parking areas with additional amenities such as bathroom/shower trailers, garbage service, electrical outlets, Wi-FI, and covered seating areas would be a significant boost to their lives. This simple, cost-effective opportunity would create a safe haven for these neighbors from which to improve their situations. Safe parking locations are now popping up in other cities.

Leaders at Nevada County are to be acknowledged as they embrace the data-proven best practices of Housing First, a federal approach focused on getting individuals and families out of homelessness and into permanent housing. And we applaud the County for putting into motion a new Navigation Center, a tremendous undertaking that will provide a service center for our unhoused neighbors.  The Center will open next year near Hospitality House.  And of course, we are thankful for the changes to zoning and permitting allowing for easier buildouts of accessory dwelling units.

But we as a community must consider those who remain unhoused while efforts continue to fill the housing gap (Hospitality House, providing critical shelter, is always at maximum capacity). Currently there are an estimated minimum of 500 unhoused people in Nevada County. We (the community, local non-profits, agencies and our government leaders) need a streamlined, fiscally smart approach to provide transitional shelter for them. 

Zoning complexities face most communities. Steve Butler, a community planner with more than 30 years in the Northwest, recently wrote “How to Address Tiny House Villages in Your Zoning Code?” He identifies cities who designated transitional housing sites, as well as cities who created new zoning provisions for transitional encampments. While he refers to tiny houses, we would like to replace that term with “shelter rooms” herein. He shares:

“For other local governments, it will likely take adoption of similar development standards that provide for specific allowances or “exceptions” from zoning codes when [tiny homes] are used to house the homeless. (This)…overall approach should be applicable for most cities, towns and counties… [Tiny houses] are not an “end all” solution, but they are a low-cost method for housing the homeless, at least on a temporary basis, and they are one approach that local governments should consider using when addressing homelessness in their communities.” 

One local non-profit has offered both free land and management oversight for 24 of these shelter rooms to be built with shared baths and kitchen facilities. However, local zoning and planning requirements only allow for a minimal number of these rooms which makes the project fiscally unfeasible. 

With more creative solutions, these safe, managed transitional shelter rooms could become reality in just six months at roughly $30,000 per unit (per developers).  Compare this with years of waiting for expensive low-or-no-income apartment complexes to become reality.

It is time to unbox our thinking so that someday we may no longer hear the question, “What about tonight?”

To endorse this vision or share your thoughts, visit: www.nchomepath.com or email us at info@nchomepath.com.