New tiny home community for chronically homeless in Wilmington

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - A house - in Wilmington - for $300 dollars a month, including utilities. It may sound too good to be true, but it will soon be a reality for residents of Eden Village. It’s a new tiny home community that will provide affordable housing to the chronically homeless.

The idea started in Springfield, Missouri, home of the first Eden Village. It’s specifically designed to help people who have chronic medical conditions, and physical or mental disabilities that prevent them from being able to afford permanent housing.

Eden Village of Wilmington will be built on the site on the old Creekwood North Community Center, which was demolished Thursday to make room for the tiny homes. There will be 32 new 400 square foot homes, plus a clubhouse in the new gated, pedestrian-only community.

The first model home should be finished by November, and the rest of the units are expected to be move-in ready sometime next year. Local families, churches and business will help finance the project, keeping rent low for the future residents.

“This is going to change their life because housing is healthcare. That is going to make them healthy. They need to have a home where they can be clean, where they can cook for themselves. They can get proper sleep, and they can also just have a community of people that can look in on them and they can have friends around them,” said Eden Village of Wilmington Board of Directors Member Kim Dalton.

If you would like to apply for one of the homes at Eden Village, or if you’d like to apply to be a mentor for one of the new residents, click here.

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