WILMINGTON, N.C. — By the end of this year, Wilmington will be home to the first Eden Village in North Carolina, providing permanent housing for the disabled and chronically homeless in the city.
What You Need To Know
- Thirty fully furnished tiny homes will be the permanent residences for chronically homeless individuals in Wilmington
- This will be the first Eden Village outside the state of Missouri
- Residents will pay a low base rent of $300 and have access to a community center and a clinic
Progress is well underway at the future site of Eden Village after what feels like a slow start to Executive Director Shawn Hayes. The first of the 30 homes are starting to arrive and construction is actively going on, even in the midst of supply chain issues and skyrocketing prices.
“Just one house makes our day,” Hayes said. “We've been at this for two years and two months exactly, and it seems like a lot longer than that. There's been a lot of blood sweat and tears.”
While 30 homes won't eliminate the problem of chronic homelessness, it is a step in the right direction. Hayes believes the solution to housing for the homeless is extremely simple, and he sees this plan is one that can be implemented all across the nation until no one in America is sleeping outside.
“The issue is not going anywhere, the need is not going anywhere, so we're not going anywhere,” Hayes said. “We're going to build as long as it takes.”
It's important to the founders of Eden Village of Wilmington and Hayes that the residents here don't feel like a charity case. He's well aware that that the positions could easily be reversed if things in life had gone a different way.
“These are people just like you and I,” Hayes said. “They're just experiencing hard times, and they find themselves without a home. I'm a father of a large family and to be able to provide for my children is a blessing. We take things like that for granted.”
The community will be limited to single individuals rather than families since each home is only equipped for one person. The homes will come fully furnished and include all the basic necessities, like linens and cookware. As long as they are law-abiding neighbors, they can call it their home for the rest of their lives.
“The abuse that some people have encountered during their time on the streets, it's heartbreaking,” Hayes said. “We're just humbled that we're able to give somebody a chance when others have shut the door.”
They're currently expecting a completion date sometime in November of this year. If you'd like to get involved by volunteering or donating you can click here for more details on the project.