07/09/2026
A lovely supporter sent this over this morning, very similar to what footballer Lou McCary did in Stoke.
These villages successfully support complicated housing requirements, work and educate people how to live independently, give people an address and most of all, they have to adhere to living standards, which some people need to be taught too in order to live independently, it’s easy to assume people know, but they don’t.
This could be a transitional solution to the repeat homeless, taking time to nurture and support people with addictions, mental health issues, isolation issues.
Anyone who folllows our work will know this has been pointed out on our page for years, a boot camp to successfully teach people to live! It seems to work all around the world, be great if Sunderland had one of these alongside a city small animal farm, where duties at farm included in a persons stay at the village. Responsibility and activity, space to grow veggies and flowers, just the accommodation in warehouse style.
Eating breakfast together, having to keep room standards immaculate, learn to be part of a community x
The homeless issue is now a large factor for national governments plans, could this be a solution for Sunderland?
Thank you Janette for sending this over ###x
One day ? ###
Andrea x
A warehouse in Minneapolis has been turned into a tiny indoor neighborhood for people who had nowhere safe to sleep.
Avivo Village, located in the North Loop, transformed a former warehouse into an indoor community of 100 secure, private “tiny homes” for adults experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Each unit has a lockable door, giving residents privacy and safety while they work toward permanent housing.
The project opened in December 2020 as a low-barrier, Housing First and harm-reduction shelter. That means it is designed for people living outside who may not be using traditional shelters, including people facing mental-health challenges, substance-use struggles, lack of ID, or the need to keep a pet with them.
Residents also have access to wraparound services under the same roof, including housing support, mental-health care, substance-use treatment, medical help, employment services, case managers, meals, laundry, bathrooms, showers, and 24/7 staff and security.
By July 2026, Avivo reported that 873 people had been served since opening, 339 residents had moved into safe, permanent housing, 261 overd*ses had been reversed, 21 babies had been born to residents, 49 veterans had been served, and 73 pets had lived there with their humans. Avivo also reported that 41% of people housed identified as Native American.
The model has drawn attention because it uses an existing industrial building instead of starting from scratch, while also responding to Minnesota’s dangerous winter conditions. For people sleeping outside, a lock, a bed, heat, and a support team can change the entire path forward.
Could unused warehouses in more cities be converted into safe indoor villages like this?
Sources: Avivo, Good Good Good, MPR News, Unwastetheplanet
