Mayor Ignacio Velazquez told BenitoLink “it’s different when you hear about (the homeless problem) from the children.”
He was referring to the presentation Thursday morning at The Vault by about 20 students from Hollister Dual Language Academy and 20 students from Helios School of Sunnyvale.
The fifth- and sixth-graders from Helios pieced together a jigsaw puzzle of a tiny home as they enumerated “What I used to think about the homeless and what I know now.”
Among the responses: “That they were a group but they are individuals. Why can’t they get jobs but actually we look down on them when we should look out for them. That they are a hopeless case but anything is possible with a good idea. That they are pitied but should not be pitied. That they are lower than us but they should be treated equally. That we should do more than give.”
The Helios students urged the assembled parents, educators and city officials to support the tiny home project because, “it’s cost-effective, greatly reduces housing subsidy and therefore house more, reduces material use because of green tech and therefore save more resources, save the environment by reducing carbon footprint, house the homeless in Hollister more efficiently and with dignity.”
The students from the Dual Language Academy displayed their redesigned vision of the 160-square-foot domain to individual tastes. There’s the Tinkerer’s Dream, Athlete’s Paradise, Naturalist’s Home, Reader’s Retreat, Chef’s Getaway, Perfect Pet Palace and Spiritual Retreat.
They were also empirical and reported the results of the two surveys conducted in the library, at a local bakery and supermarket, and in Hollister’s residential areas. With their cartoon-style thought bubble cut-outs, they found out, among other things, that people believe the causes of homelessness could be unemployment, the lack of affordable housing, medical costs, drugs and alcohol, and divorce and violence at home. They also believe that the mayor’s project could help reduce homelessness.
Velazquez recalled how the project began last summer when he attended a Tiny Home Workshop in Berkeley. He said it was sparked on his first day on the job by the homeless problem. Helios School Curriculum Developer John McLeod partnered with Velazquez — the mayor of a city nearly 60 miles away — even when “99 percent of the people, including my wife thought I was crazy.”
So Velazquez used a truck to gather what he needed and built a model in his own back yard. Eventually, he got an architect to help him. The Tiny Home cost “$20,000 to $25,000” to build, according to Velazquez, who paid for it himself. It has a shower, commode, kitchen sink, bedroom with an overhead fan, living room and even a patio. All the lights are LED. The electrical power can be connected to the grid, but solar panels on the roof will eventually save on power consumption.
But that’s not the whole thing. Velazquez said, “I wanted to create something for someone to feel at home.” He explained that shelters provide the homeless bed space and soup kitchens dole out hot chow, but only during specific hours in the day, meaning the homeless would have to wait in line before they can get sleep and food. “I wanted (the homeless) to feel comfortable in their own bedroom, be able to lock the door, watch TV and feel safe,” Velazquez said, pointing out that part of the tiny home’s design was to have the windows only on one side “for privacy.”
Velazquez said that tiny homes can “also be for (displaced) seniors and (transients) living in a bedroom space. Many of the homeless are not from out of town. They’re from here. It’s time we stopped thinking about this as somebody else’s problem. We should take it on.”
He predicted that the tiny home project “could spread to San Jose.” Velazquez’s bold words matched his attitude.
“I don’t want to involve the federal government in this because I don’t want to be providing this service for free.” He revealed that to qualify for a tiny home, the applicant must be willing to work or provide community service to offset the cost of the rent.
Velazquez also said, “I don’t want a grant. I don’t want to be tied in to requirements.” He said that he planned to launch his own nonprofit organization that he would call New Horizons.
To read the BenitoLink story about the mayor’s partnership with the Dual Language Academy and Helios School, click here.