Hollister Mayor Ignacio Velazquez’s vision for addressing homelessness in San Benito County is starting small – as in tiny homes – while dreaming big with the help of middle-schoolers.
On Thursday, May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Vault in downtown Hollister, Velazquez will present the Mayor’s Youth Summit on Homelessness – Tiny Homes Big Hearts. It will address topics such as “How does Hollister view the homeless?” “What is it like to be homeless in Hollister?” and discuss why tiny homes might be a solution for some residents looking for a place to stay.
Students from the Hollister Dual Language Academy and the Helios School of Sunnyvale will be on hand to showcase their work on the issue, including presenting designs of tiny homes, presenting survey data results and featuring stories about homeless people whom they have interviewed in recent months. Velazquez will also showcase a tiny home that he has had built, as a preview of a solution he hopes will give locals in need temporary shelter as a transition to more stable housing.
“Working with the kids really was more of an awareness factor so they could see the problem,” Velazquez said. “Sometimes it’s easier to see it through kids’ eyes than adults. It’s a different way to solve this ongoing problem.”
At a seminar on tiny homes last summer, Velazquez connected with teacher John McLeod of Sunnyvale’s Helios School, where the curriculum includes expeditions and long-term projects. Recognizing the potential for his students to get involved with a project that combined environmental and social issues, McLeod and his fifth- and sixth-grade students went all-in with the project, visiting the community multiple times this school year to conduct surveys and interviews.
“They’ve gone to no knowledge of homelessness to great depth and breadth with that issue,” McLeod said.
His students, along with those from the Dual Language Academy, will lead the homeless summit discussions starting at noon. “They will present the day-to-day information they came up with from surveys of homeless in Hollister,” McLeod said, noting that a homeless person will also speak about the challenges she faces and Velazquez will present his vision for providing shelter and, eventually, employment for those in need.
“Hollister students will present their data and the implications of that,” McLeod added, and a lot of stories we’ve been gathering will be featured.”
At the summit, Velazquez is going to showcase one of the tiny homes he has built with his own money. He will then take input from the students and have another home constructed using their specifications.
“The city is working with the county to solve the homelessness problem,” which he has said includes hundreds of people. “I’m doing this on my own; I paid for it myself. I’m trying to get things done in a more efficient manor. I’d like to get more built and get some of the homeless housed.”
Velazquez said he hopes to find a nonprofit group or private funding to pay for the construction of more tiny homes, the first of which contains approximately 160 square feet of space that includes a small bedroom, shower, toilet, kitchen counter and sink and a small living area.
He said the homes, while tiny, will get people off the streets and give them a sense of security. At the same time, the city and county continue with plans to build a homeless shelter funded by grant money.
“As people go through the homeless shelter and get some stability, they look for a more permanent place so they can be shifted over to these types of homes,” Velazquez said. “My plan is they’ll have to pay rent and have to volunteer time or work in the community in order to stay in these. It’s not a free ride in any way – I don’t think that works.”
Velazquez said “lots of homeless people I’ve spoken to want to work. It comes down to getting a place to sleep and wash up. Maybe we can step them back into society. (Tiny homes) are kind of the next step past the temporary shelter.”
The county shelter is expected to be built within the next 18 months “at the latest,” according to Velazquez.
For more information on the Mayor’s Youth Summit on Homelessness, call 831-905-3720.