KANSAS CITY, Kans. — A group of homeless advocates is working to create Eden Village in Kansas City, Kansas, to provide permanent housing for the unhoused.
Eden Village KCK staff officially broke ground Thursday, surrounded by dozens of community members who got to check out the first house.
The group's goal is to raise money for 23 tiny homes, with fencing and secured areas, where residents will pay $365 a month in rent.
The residents also would have help and access to services to help them escape a life that doesn't include a stable place to live.
“A full kitchen and a lot of space,” said Cindy Peine. “I think it’s beautiful. “So many people say people should do something about homeless, but they are actually doing it.”
Katrina Gerber hopes to soon get 10 people off the streets and in their own permanent homes by December.
“We couldn’t have done it without all our donors and volunteers,” said Gerber, a member of the Board of Directors of Eden Village Kansas City Metro.
The work crews are moving dirt for new houses, one of those that Elizabeth Diddle and her family donated.
“We are able to be a part of something that’s a permanent answer, a forever answer for someone living on the streets,” Diddle said.
She did it because she wants others to know what home means.
“We’re honoring both of our late mothers,” she said. “They both provided home for us, of love, safety, and security and we want that for someone else too. We bought this in honor of Evie and Lucy, so we’re putting a plaque up there called Evie and Lucy’s Place.”
This will bring a family out of dangerous conditions and into a home to build a new life in.
“We should care for each other and say no one is going to die on our watch, not in Kansas City, no one’s going to die on our watch,” Diddle said.
“Together, let’s make WyCo a great place to live, work and raise a family and Eden Village is that foundation when you talk about building strong communities,” said KCK Mayor Tyrone Garner.
Gerber said they are still raising money for those homes.
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