Tiny homes for homeless and low-income families coming to Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Tiny home villages are on the way for homeless and low-income families in Richmond.

Earlier this week, City Council approved the sale of two lots off Chamberlayne Avenue, totaling around 5 acres, to the nonprofit Eden Village of Richmond for $100.

Pictures of the property (Photo: Cathy Ritter, Eden Village of Richmond Founder)

Pictures of the property (Photo: Cathy Ritter, Eden Village of Richmond Founder)

Founder Cathy Ritter said 30-35 homes will be built on 1501 Fendall Ave and 1601 Fendall Ave, within the next 2 years. She said her previous jobs serving the less fortunate inspired her to act.

“I've started a preschool, a daycare and afterschool program and a food pantry, and took youth to Appalachia for 10 years,” Ritter said. “I always had a heart for helping people. When I did the food pantry, we had to deliver food to people. When I would see situations they were living in, we ended up helping them.”

Each home will be 400 square feet, fully furnished, with one bedroom, a bathroom and a front porch. This includes utilities, as well as counseling and medical services.

Applications will be prioritized for residents who have been unhoused for more than a year or have a chronic illness.

Ritter said it’s important to solve the housing crisis and give people who don’t have a home a better place to live.

“It's going to be a gated fingerprint entry community to keep the bad guys out and kind of a controlled environment,” Ritter said. “When you're sleeping out in the streets, you're afraid somebody is going to attack you and kill you or steal your stuff.”

The project is expected to cost roughly $5.2 million and it will be done in phases. Ritter said they’ll need to raise $200,000 in donations before construction starts.