Quixote Village is a two-acre community of 30
tiny homes
The tiny-house movement (also known as the small house movement) is an architectural and social movement promoting the reduction and simplification of living spaces. Tiny homes have been promoted as offering lower-cost and sometimes eco-frien ...
for single homeless adults in
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington. It had a population of 55,605 at the 2020 census, making it the state of Washington's 23rd-most populous city. Olympia is the county seat of Thurston County, and the central city ...
.
It is located in an industrial area,
zoned
In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a ...
as permanent
supportive housing
Supportive housing is a combination of housing and services intended as a cost-effective way to help people live more stable, productive lives, and is an active "community services and funding" stream across the United States. It was developed by ...
and leased from Thurston County for $1 per year. It was built in 2013 for a construction cost of $3.1 million, and includes a clubhouse with laundry and showers. Each cottage has heating, electricity, and a half-bathroom.
History
The village started as Quixote Camp, a small, nomadic tent camp in 2007. It had relocated more than 20 times, rotating between seven different church properties because of municipal ordinances which prohibited churches from hosting homeless people for longer than 90 days.
In 2011, $1.5 million was designated for the construction of a tiny house village for homeless adults by the
Washington State Legislature
The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the State of Washington. It is a bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 representatives, and the upper Washington State Senate, w ...
.
[ A 2.1-acre lot was selected in an office district between Mottman Road and Black Lake Meadows Reserve.][
In 2015, the community won a silver medal ]Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence
The Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence (RBA) was established in 1986 by Cambridge, Massachusetts architect Simeon Bruner. The award is named after Simeon Bruner's late father, Rudy Bruner, founder of the Bruner Foundation. According to the B ...
.[
In 2022, each building was outfitted with ]solar panels
A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. These electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct ...
. 206 panels were installed for a total output of 66 kilowatts. It was estimated to cost $150,000, but with the benefit of saving approximately $551,000 in energy consumption over a 40-year span.
Organization and layout
Quixote Village has elections for leadership positions, and requires residents to follow certain rules.[ They are aided by a nonprofit board which serves as the legal landlord.]in-group
In social psychology and sociology, an in-group is a social group to which a person psychologically identifies as being a member. By contrast, an out-group is a social group with which an individual does not identify. People may for example ...
ing, and residents stated that they preferred having an exterior porch to a larger interior space.[ Quixote Village has thirty 144-square foot houses which measure 8' x 18' inside and have front porches.][ It cost approximately $88,000 per unit. There is a central open space and a communal building which houses a kitchen, a shower and laundry room, administrative offices, and a meeting space.][
To qualify for occupancy, applicants must be "single individuals who are chronically homeless at time of application and who may benefit from case management services."][
]
See also
* Opportunity Village, a similar initiative in Eugene, Oregon
References
{{reflist
Homelessness in Washington (state)
Homelessness charities in the United States
Olympia, Washington
2013 establishments in Washington (state)
Populated places established in 2013