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More Than 200 Homeless Seniors Will Have Tiny Houses of Their Own After Donations Pour In

wo hundred homeless seniors in Texas will soon have residents. Applicants will be prioritized according to
a roof over their heads thanks to this nonprofit raising their vulnerability index (age, duration of homelessness,
Tmore than $2 million in donations. additional risk factors, disabilities, and high utilization of
Earlier this week, the Housing First Community Coalition city services).
(HFCC) announced that it had successfully raised the funds “HFCC aims to serve chronically homeless vulnerable
for its new 17-acre Towne Twin Village community that people as they outnumber chronically homeless families by
will provide housing and support services for seniors in San 36 to 1,” said Alice Salinas, senior program manager of San
Antonio experiencing long-term homelessness. Antonio Local Initiative Support Corporation.
The community will house 200 individuals who are 50 years “Our goal is to restore dignity and to build a therapeutic
or older and be the city’s first single-site Housing First – community that will promote the flourishing of natural
Permanent Supportive Housing property. support systems through socialization and development of
The Towne Twin Village community will feature apartments, friendship with volunteers, neighbors, and other residents.”•
350-400 square foot tiny houses, RV park, community
garden, picnic areas, art studio, pet park, pet rescue facility,
chapel, and an outdoor amphitheater for movies, musical
performances, and theatrical events.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s
Annual Point-In-Time and Housing Inventory Count
evidentially supports that Housing First is a proven model
that has helped reduce homelessness nationwide by 13%
between 2010 and 2017.
According to the Interagency Council on Homelessness,
providing supportive housing opportunities to people with
the most intense needs, communities spent much less on
preventable costs for public programs as well as on shelters,
jails, ambulances, and emergency rooms. Other benefits to
the San Antonio community will include the redevelopment
of a 17-acre vacant property into a beautiful community
asset, employing dozens of construction workers for months,
and creating multiple jobs long-term.
The Housing First model employs evidence-based practices
to streamline connections to housing opportunities and to
provide people with the appropriate level of services to
support their long-term housing stability.
Mark Wittig, HFCC chairman, stated: “Our vision is to
develop a housing community where everyone is cherished.
The community will provide permanent housing and
assistance to meet the needs of seniors experiencing long-
term homelessness in San Antonio and develop a community
that offers safety, stability, dignity, and purpose.”
In addition to housing, the community and its partners
will provide concentrated support services including case
management, job training, professional counseling, legal
advocacy, and health care to help residents pursue personal
goals and improve their quality of life. The community will
include approximately 200 units (mostly efficiencies) and 25
units for peer volunteers. A low-barrier Housing First model
will be used in selecting housing applicants and supporting

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