COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Residents of the Vista Village tiny-home development reflect on how their community has positively impacted their lives.

It’s been a few months now since residents began moving into Vista Village, a tiny-home development project on the southeast side of Columbus. We first told you about the development opening in February. 

NBC4 spoke with two residents who have been living there, and they say they feel as though they’ve been given a second chance at life. 

Destiny Powell and Christina Macias first crossed paths in prison, and now they’re best friends and next-door neighbors at this tiny-home community working to turn their lives around.

“I’m formerly incarcerated. I did about three years in prison at the end of a drug run,” said Destiny Powell. 

“I had a past, an addiction. I went through a lot of that. And then that led me into some prison time,” said Christina Macias. 

Both Powell and Macias say trying to navigate life after prison doesn’t come without its challenges. 

“I kind of struggled a little bit to find my path or who I was, where I was going, or what I wanted to do,” said Macias. 

“What weren’t the challenges? That list would probably be shorter. It was just everything. I didn’t do a long stretch, but I did enough time that one day, and that’s too much,” said Powell. 

They both spent time together at another supportive housing program before moving into Vista Village. They say that living at Vista Village is giving them the freedom they need while also guiding them toward a healthy lifestyle. 

“I’ve never lived by myself before, so this is a totally new experience, the first time I’ve ever been on my own. So it’s super exciting. So I’m getting to do all kinds of new stuff,” said Powell. 

“I’m doing it on my own, and there’s like nobody that can say, hey, you are where you are because of me. No, we’ve worked really hard to get where we’re at today. I know I worked extremely hard to be the person that I am today,” said Macias. 

Vista Village isn’t designed to be someone’s forever home, but a place where you can grow and learn life skills you didn’t have before.

“Some goals that I have are definitely to continue in some financial counseling in order to be safe, to save money, to continue to build my credit up so that I’m able to purchase that home wherever it shall be, my forever home,” said Macias.

“I hope to still be a part of this community five years down the line. I’m going to start some meetings out here. I’m very immersed in my recovery journey, so I’m going to try to spread that with other people,” said Powell. 

Vista Village is a first-of-its-kind development in central Ohio. Organizers previously told NBC4 that they anticipate most residents will spend about 18 to 24 months here until they find their forever home. 

Organizers also tell NBC4 that they expect to be fully booked by the end of June.