Dream Center Peoria is exploring the possibility of pursuing a “tiny homes” development as a way to help the city address a growing unsheltered population.
“This would be a place where people could come and find a sense of independence within community, while focusing on transitioning them to better life situations,” said Dream Center Executive Director Andy King.
The proposition was among several topics discussed in depth Tuesday as the Peoria City Council dedicated the first half of a four-hour special policy session to issues surrounding homelessness.
The non-congregant “Compassion Village” project would consist of 32 small, private residential buildings in a secured location. Dream Center has been in consultation with Pallet Shelter in developing its concept.
“There are many pieces that have to fall into place before we can do this,” said King, who estimated the tiny homes village would cost $900,000 to build and require another $350,000 in annual operational expenses.
“Location is a huge piece, having the city help in finding us land and resources to build it – and then once built, working together with the city and all the amazing non-profit groups in the city so that we can bring dignity to those that we are serving in the community.”
The lengthy discussion also touched on the status of the Phoenix Manor project, the Salvation Army’s development of new shelter space, the Flexible Rental program using city and county American Rescue Plan Act funding, and Trillium Place’s efforts to provide mental health and substance abuse treatment for unhoused individuals.
Community Development Director Joe Dulin cautioned that a cloud of funding concerns hovers over all of the endeavors aimed at reducing homelessness. He noted the current reconciliation bill in front of the U.S. Congress would eliminate or severely reduce funds for housing voucher programs, Community Development Block Grants, and HOME Investment Partnerships.
“Without that funding in place, the city would have to make a decision whether to invest substantial general fund money, or we just wouldn’t see those housing opportunities exist in our community,” said Dulin.
One program the city has supported this year has been a temporary hotel shelter operated by LULA Peoria following the implementation of a ban on public campsites. Of the more than 100 individuals who stayed at the hotel, 73 have been placed in permanent housing or other shelter locations.
With the city-provided funding set to expire at the end of June, Dulin said a proposal for an additional $64,000 to fund the program one more month will go before the city council at its next meeting on Tuesday.
“We have a very positive line of sight on almost all but 17 people [of] the 46 that are left in the motel. And often, if you talk to our social service agencies, when people go back to the streets or they become unsheltered again, they could disengage in services, and we’re very close to the finish line for a large percentage of those,” said Dulin, adding that the staff has no intention of seeking an extension beyond July.
Kate Green, executive director of the Home for All Continuum of Care, provided an update on the status of homelessness in the area. She noted a spike in unhoused individuals across Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford and Fulton counties following the end of pandemic-era funding.
“Since those have rolled back, we’ve seen a serious escalation of homelessness,” said Green, pointing to a chart showing a most recent count of 635, up from around 200 approximately three years ago. “This isn’t just locally defined. It’s not just our four county service area. Homelessness is on the rise, truly across the country.”
Mayor Rita Ali said she is not opposed to the notion of a tiny homes project, but she’s “adamantly opposed” to having it in downtown Peoria.
“As most people know, when it comes to the unhoused population, I have a lot of compassion. “But I honestly, when we look at our downtown, our downtown cannot be the destination always for the unhoused population and housing projects,” said Ali.
“We want a thriving downtown. We want to draw more businesses to downtown. We want to draw more residency to downtown. We’re trying to attract people to live downtown. We want to convert some of these historic buildings to a combination of residential and retail or commercial facilities.”
The mayor pointed out that downtown is already home to Dream Center, the Salvation Army, Pathways, New Hope Apartments, Phoenix Community Development Services’ Madison III building, and the Phoenix Manor supportive housing program that’s in development.
“Everything doesn’t have to be downtown when it comes to addressing the needs of the [homeless] population. And I think the tiny homes project can work; It’s been proven to work in other cities. I would like to see it happen. I don’t want it in downtown Peoria,” she said, expressing a desire for location balance that was shared by other council members.
However, King said Dream Center ideally would want the Compassion Village developed near their existing congregant shelter, so they would be able to provide meals and other services.
“Where we put this is critical for the support that folks will need,” said King. “This is a huge piece. This isn’t the answer to what we have been experiencing, but it’s a piece of the answer.”
