(Un)housed in paradise: how the homeless can get off the street

Chronic homelessness has risen 65% in the U.S. in the past 7 years, much of the increase has happened in West Coast cities like Los Angeles and Portland.

“It used to be - just less than 4 years ago - that 85% of our houseless people were from this city,” explains community architect Mark Blakeman, “But since the acceleration of the economic disparity people have been coming from the interior of the country where it’s oftentimes way too hot or way too cold for people to be able to survive. So there are thousands more people, millions more people, I would say on the west coast that are homeless than ever before.”

Lakeman helped organize the founding of Dignity Village, which resident and president, Lisa Larson, describes as “the only city-sanctioned, self-supporting, self-governing homeless community in North America.” He’s also helped plan other DIY communities “where people can actually be stable on a piece of land.”

Forty percent of California’s homeless live in Los Angeles, but Rowan Vansleve, who helps run tiny home villages in LA thinks it’s a fixable problem. He says 60% of those they approach want help getting off the streets. Vansleve gave us a tour of the Chandler Tiny Home Village in North Hollywood, where formerly homeless people live in their own small abodes with shared showers and toilets and communal dining space.

To help address the thousands of people sleeping in their vehicles, we visited one of the lots of Safe Parking LA (Saint Mary’s church in Koreatown) where we met founders Ira and Pat Cohen, who have spent more than a decade trying to help vehicle-dwellers get a safe night's sleep.

Dignity Village photos credit: Kwamba Productions

[alanfoix]

I been homeless for years. I'm a old hobo. I will probably always live in a van or small rv. It's mine and it can be cheap. And I can move easily. One can have everything in a van or rv that you have in a house. I'm working on my new new tiny home now. A 1976 Dodge motor home. I'm building it for cold weather. What does it matter what people live in. As long as your a honest person and not hurting others what should it matter. The choice of home doesn't make the person. How one treats others should matter more. Peace and love people 💕 ✌️ 👍 🙏🙏

[tesscot]

Lots of people are broken. Most of the time, we didn't break ourselves, another person or persons broke us. Broken People get up in the morning and keep trying just like the rest of you. We are the greatest survivors in the world.

[lissanne]

Dignity Village is a much better place to live in than a tent. More privacy, protection, and security. Thanks to everyone who has helped to create this project.

[MaryKane-qvvz]

Its great that pets are allowed as pets are their family and provide companionship. They have a chance to become a normal part of the community.

[Pack.Leader]

That was a very sweet way you lingered on the lady with the small dog as she stood in the doorway of her tiny home in that community, after she said, "Whenever you want to stop by, ..." Touching.

[SusanRogersMakingItWorkMe]

I LOVE that there are places to help those in need!💞
I spent 6 weeks in a women's shelter, my husband had beaten me badly. It was a safe haven!

[davidowen]

Evelyn appears to be doing well in turning her life around...but I couldn't help get a strong sense of her sadness that what she has now is temporary. She will continue to experience insecure attachment which may have leave her at risk of relapse or crisis. Let's hope she continues to get a high level of support to establish strong attachments in her next home. Good luck Evelyn! x

[elizabethanderson]

I like that it's called Dignity village, and that they are called guest, this makes a difference. I used to be a social worker and give out benefits. My clients really liked me. If I went on vacation they would wait till I got back...lol. I met so many gems of people that just were experiencing a hard time. They weren't lesser at all.

[jekalambert]

It is such a sad commentary that we live in a world where people end up homeless, especially in environments where the climate is harsh. Having a safe home is fundamental to human existence. Bravo to those who are making it possible for people to stop living on the streets and thank you Kirsten for making this documentary series and highlighting some viable solutions to end homelessness.

[jeannemara]

They should have land around them. Each person gets a patch for a garden. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, flowers. Get their hands in the dirt. That is a fantastic calming influence.

**GARDENS!!**

[TwinSister]

Great video ! I exited California 2 years ago due to all the chaos there. I live in a small community
here on the amazing Oregon Coast. There are several tiny villages here on the coast and inland. Help those who want change in their life. I live in peace where people respect their environment and one another. Peace Out

[grumpyoldlady_rants]

Thank you, Kirsten and Fair Companies for producing this series. I find it mind boggling that in this country, supposedly the greatest in the world, that it’s is acceptable to continually raise the cost of housing and other basic needs yet wages remain stagnate.

[pennybedggood]

Kirsten and your family - I am in awe of the dignity and respect you show towards people in all different circumstances. The way you refer to "being without a home" instead of "homeless", filming and showing us that people take care and respect their chosen environments. Not just this video, but many others, have opened my eyes to so many different points of view and situations. You are embracing and empathetic. You are the type of people that should be our policy makers.

[mightywind]

They don’t just create shelter, they create hope.

[candidegunn]

I have the perfect example of this that happened in an instant. Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the hurricane washed away all the homes of the workers in the city but left all of the rich parts of the city almost untouched. For years after, restaurants and shops and fast food places, grocery stores etc. could not reopen because there were no workers to run them. No where to live meant that workers could not come back. those workers lived in slums and you can't build a slum, those just happen over time.

[eiryamorlais]

All of those who are helping, whatever the approach, bring tears to my eyes. With utmost gratitude.

[LoveWisdomFreedom]

@Kirsten, love how you broke this down in part 1, presenting the issues, and; part 2, showing viable solutions. Great work! Wholeness to you & your family 🙏🏽

[siouxgerowsays]

Everyone should be made to watch this set. It is tough but so important.
Your production here is so sensitively attuned to the difficult material.
This is really a standout, and we have been following you for a long time.
Thank you for putting all the time and effort into this review.
We commented on the kids growing up, you only had 2 when we started watching you.

[markcrume]

# 29 in the tiny village was touching, inspiring. Thanks little lady.

[kallasusort]

Finally a good plan! Congrats! A place to shower, and do laundry to feel human. THANK YOU