FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin is pitching a new idea to the city council to help house the homeless.
It’s called a “Tiny Home Village.”
Colvin says it could be modeled after other cities that have turned things like shipping containers into tiny homes.
It’s part of an overall concept that focuses on finding the homeless housing first, and then getting people connected with treatment or job placement programs.
“I was very impressed by it and I think that’s something we haven’t tried, so this would definitely compliment that approach,” Colvin said.
The tiny home village idea will be talked about during Monday’s city council work session.
Colvin says he isn’t sure yet where it would go or how much it would cost.
“Hopefully, they will support a further look at this, and a feasibility of how we can do it and how much something like that may cost,” Colvin said.
Lindsey Wofford is a homeless advocate and the executive director of the non-profit Seth’s Wish Community Center.
She says a tiny home village would work in Fayetteville, but so far it’s been all talk and no real action.
“I don’t think we need to study it, I think we need to implement a plan of action, and we are either going to do it or we won’t,” Wofford said. “I wish I could say it’s super exciting that we’re talking about it but I will probably say ‘I’ll believe it when I see something come from it’.”
“I know it’s been a long time coming, but this is a complex matter,” Colvin said. “I think that it’s time for us to get serious in a way, the local government to start to invest money into sheltering.”
