During one of the largest economic crises our country has ever seen, when cities are forcing landlords not to evict tenants who can’t pay, thousands have lost their jobs, and the number of homeless has yet to be calculated, there is hope. There is hope in Tiny Homes. Hope of the Valley’s Tiny Homes Villages is one of the most beautiful initiatives I have heard about so far in 2021. In one of the cities in the US that has the worst numbers of homelessness, Los Angeles, this organization is just stating the fight, and they are doing it in style. They have set up a transitional micro-village, where people wanting to pull themselves off the streets are given the resources to do so. Hope of the Valley has not only done this smartly, but also sensitively for the people who are moving in. They make sure they are safe, clean, feed, and even have a dog park for those with pets. I’m so excited to share with you our exclusive interview with the CEO of Hope of the Valley, Ken Craft.

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Foreword by Kira Bucca, Editor in Chief of Jejune Magazine.

Where are you based?
Hope of the Valley is based in Los Angeles. The majority of our programs are in the San Fernando Valley which is the northern portion of LA City.

Can you tell us a little bit about Hope of the Valley?
I had the privilege of starting Hope Of The Valley Rescue Mission in 2009. We had a very humble beginning, we started serving hot meals out of a local church that allowed us to use their facility. Since that time, we continued to grow and expand our operations, programs and services. As an agency, we are committed to helping people overcome any and every obstacle that’s preventing them from being housed. Our goal is to prevent, reduce and eliminate poverty, hunger, and homelessness by offering immediate assistance in long-term solutions.

Jejune is blown away by your new project, Tiny Homes Villages. Can you tell us a little bit about this project and where we can see these villages popping up?
Hope Of The Valley, in partnership with the city of Los Angeles, had the privilege of opening the very first Tiny Home village in the city. The Tiny Home village is very unique in that each client is able to have their own 64 sq. ft. Tiny Home. Inside each unit is two beds, air conditioning, heating, storage space, shelving, four windows, and a front door that locks. Currently, we are slated to open three more of the Tiny Home Villages within the next three months and I know there are other facilities preparing to open throughout the city of Los Angeles. Each of the Tiny Homes allows individuals to enjoy privacy, autonomy, and dignity. On-site are all the social services anyone would expect to help people get back on their feet. We have mental health services, substance abuse counseling, case managers, housing navigators, and job specialists. Each resident is provided three meals per day.

What made you decide to put your first Tiny Homes Village up in LA?
Hope of the Valley was started in the San Fernando Valley, so it made sense to open the first location where the majority of our programs were being offered.

Honestly, I’m so excited about this that I have a million questions! First, is there some sort of screening process for a person to get into the village?
Yes, there is definitely a screening process. Someone who is homeless cannot just walk up to the Tiny Home Village and say they need a bed. We have outreach and engagement teams going out into the community and working within the homeless encampments. The outreach specialist explains to people experiencing homelessness that this new site is designed for people that want to end their homelessness. We inform potential residents that there are rules and guidelines, but there are also all the amenities and services to genuinely help them break free from the cycle of poverty and homelessness. The main criteria for anyone to enter into the Tiny Village is that they are homeless and that they live within a three-mile radius of the location. They also must be 18 years of age or older. The field assessment and selection process is designed to prioritize those who have been homeless the longest and the most vulnerable. We have one gentleman who came into the Tiny Homesite that has been homeless on the streets since the Northridge earthquake which took place in 1994.

Your setup is so nice! I live in NYC and I’m actually kinda jealous of the space they have, the onsite laundry, meal options, and the dog park! How do you convince a person to leave? Is the program for each person only for a limited amount of time?
I would have to agree with you. The Tiny Home village is very nice. From the moment someone enters into the village, we do remind them that this is not theirs forever home. This is what is known as interim or bridge housing. It is designed to get people off of the streets and help them stabilize so they can begin to focus on moving into permanent housing. Usually within four to six months. We are able to place clients into some form of permanent or permanent supportive housing.

Each Tiny Home has two beds. How do you accommodate families?
The 64 sq. ft. units being used for the initial Tiny Home Communities are not designed for families. They are designed for single adults. There is another unit, manufactured by Pallet Shelters, that is 100 sq. ft. That particular unit is better suited for families. We are in the early planning stages regarding opening a Tiny Home Village for families.

If you are working with single individuals how do you decide who rooms with whom?
Right now, the Department of Public Health, due to the pandemic has limited occupancy to one person per Tiny Home unless it is a couple or the two individuals are related. Once the restriction is lifted, we will put two inside each unit. We will do our best to match roommates according to the highest probability of compatibility. It does not work out, we will make adjustments.

Many shelters have a lot of problems with crime on-site, where people rob each other. How do you plan to avoid these conflicts?
The security at the Tiny Home Villages is very tight. We have a security guard stationed at the single point of entry 24 hours per day. No client is allowed back into the facility without being checked for any weapons, drugs, or alcohol. Each client signs a code of conduct before entering the village. We cannot control what people do outside of the village but we can control what takes place inside the facility. We also have 24-hour video surveillance, a 9-foot fence that surrounds the entire property and each client has the ability to lock their front door, protecting any and all of their personal belongings.

We really love how sensitive space is to make it a nice experience for your “clients”. What really impressed me is how you acknowledge that some people would rather stay homeless than get rid of their pets. It is really beautiful how you knew to make this an important part of the village. Can you talk to us a little bit about this and how you knew it was so important?
Historically, having a pet may have been a barrier to entering a shelter. We want to eliminate any and all barriers that would prevent people from getting the help they need. For many of our clients, their pet is that single source of unconditional love and acceptance. We want to work with our clients and their pets. We allow pets to live with their owners in their Tiny Homes. We also have a grant that helps fund veterinary care, food, and other pet supplies. Onsite, we also have a dog run where the dogs can play and relieve themselves.

We also love how colorful space is, why was this important to you?
The first Tiny Home Village is located in the NoHo Arts District which is a very colorful and vibrant part of the Valley. The City of Los Angeles wanted the site to reflect the community and be visually appealing to clients and guests! There is energy and life when you walk into the community!

Can you tell us a little bit about how you work with your clients to help them get back on their feet?
The Tiny Home Village is part of a larger continuum of care. The moment somebody enters the village, they meet with a case manager. The responsibility of the case manager is to help the client get housing ready. We will make sure the client has their Social Security card, birth certificate, and state ID. We will also link them to mental health services and substance abuse counseling if needed. We will also work with clients to help them find a job and work with them on their new hire interview skills and resume writing. Finally, each client will have their own housing navigator who will assist them in locating permanent housing.

So, the first Tiny Homes Village has been open for about a month now. Have there been any surprises that you didn’t expect?
What surprised me the most was the amount of attention the site generated. The Tiny Homes seem to have captivated the imagination of many and have presented itself as a viable, scalable, and affordable solution to the homeless crisis in Los Angeles and across the Country.

I know it is early, but do you have any heartwarming stories you would like to share?
Several stories immediately come to my mind when I think about the Tiny Homes. The first story is about a woman whose house burned down five years ago and she has been living in her car for the past five years. When she entered the site, she couldn’t stop crying, she was so thankful to be able to lay down horizontally and sleep through the night.

Another woman that I spoke with became homeless after fleeing a physically abusive relationship. As she was running from her perpetrator, she was hit by an 18 wheeler truck; she showed me her mangled leg. She had been living homeless in the park, trying to recover from her trauma. Once she moved into the Tiny Home, she was relieved and her hope renewed, that she could now rebuild her life.

The last story that comes to my mind is about a gal who was living homeless near the Tiny Homes. She had been sexually abused many times while being homeless. She would wear jeans two sizes too small to slow the process should someone try to rape her again. When she came to the Tiny Home Village, she also broke down and cried. She said she finally felt safe, she could lock her front door and not fear someone physically abusing her. The amount of trauma that many of our clients go through is unspeakable and overwhelming.

Where do you hope to put up more Tiny Homes Villages in the future?
Next month, in partnership with the City of Los Angeles, we will open the largest Tiny Home Community in North Hollywood. In May, we will work with another Council District and open a Tiny Home Community in Reseda and Tarzana. I do see Tiny Homes as a quick, affordable solution to the homeless crisis.

With the pandemic, homelessness has only been growing. What do you see as the future of our country in regards to homelessness?
Unfortunately, I think it is going to get worse before it gets better. 60 Minutes ran a report recently quoting a researching company who stated that there were nearly 500,000 people experiencing homelessness before the pandemic and it will most likely increase by 250,000 after the pandemic. Now is the time to double down on creative, innovative housing solutions such as Tiny Homes.

You are also putting on a marathon to help fight homelessness, Rally to the Valley. Can you tell us a little bit about this run and how we can get involved?
Probably not one of my smarter decisions in life, but I and our CFO are going to run 125 miles over nine days to raise funds to help support our efforts to open an additional 600 beds in 2021. We will be running to all 19 of our site locations. We will start in the high desert in a city called Lancaster and run all the way down to the San Fernando Valley and conclude our run in Simi Valley. We will stop at all site locations and celebrate the good work that is being done. People can support our run by going to www.rallytothevalley.com

Has COVID impacted Hope of The Valley’s efforts to help the homeless crisis?
Covid has hit the mission hard. Every one of our site locations has been on lockdown and quarantine multiple times. I remember one week where we had 18 positive tests in just one shelter! Once somebody tests positive that person must go to a quarantine/isolation motel and the entire Shelter site is on lockdown for 14 days. As you can imagine, that makes life very difficult for people in the shelter who need to go to work or have trauma being confined to a single space. Recently Covid numbers have dropped dramatically and I believe the worst is behind us.

If any of our readers want to get involved in any of Hope of The Valley’s work, where can we direct them to go?
Please have them go to www.hopeofthevalley.org

How have you been staying positive during a shelter in place?
I keep reminding myself that what we are going through is temporary and it will pass. I exercise, hang out with positive people and read books that are inspirational!

What is your motto in life?
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill

To learn more about Hope of the Valley, please follow via the below platforms:
www.hopeofthevalley.org
Instagram: @hopeofthevalley

Fighting Homelessness & Poverty with HOPE