As the snow falls and the temperatures drop, Lloyd Covington III is thankful for a roof over his head even if it’s just a few square feet.
“It’s very heartwarming. I understand what it feels like to be a big kid now,’ said Covington.
He’s one of the first residents of the City of St. Louis’ new tiny house village, a temporary housing program. Located off Jefferson Avenue just north of downtown, the tiny house village can hold 50 people. So far, they have 31 residents. It’s funded with an initial investment of $600,000 from the federal CARES Act. The city has a 29-month lease on the property.
A tiny house community is being built in St. Louis to shelter homeless people in the city.
There are single and double homes. They have heating and AC, plus a bed and desk. The property offers showers, restrooms, laundry, three meals a day and 24-hour access to caseworkers. The heat is the biggest thing for many of the residents as the temperatures drop.
“It’d be horrible to be out on the street on a day like this,” said Andy, who did not want to share his last name. He and his wife moved in last week. He’s been homeless for around six months.
“I got sick, had a bad infection in my leg, lost my job and a kind of snow ball effect from there,” he said. There are hundreds of similar stories. Amy Bickford is the program director for the city’s homeless services.
“At any given moment there’s at least 200-500 people on the streets,” said Bickford.
