COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A tiny-home development project six years in the making has finally opened its doors and is welcoming residents. It’s located off Refugee Road on Columbus’s southeast side. 

Vista Village is a tiny-home community, the first of its kind in central Ohio. The developers say they want to change the way homelessness is addressed in Columbus. 

There are 41 homes, each 420 square feet and fully furnished. It’s a faith-based community that’s designed to help those struggling with life after addiction, homelessness, incarceration, and other challenges. 

“When I started to look at homelessness and what Columbus was doing, what was Ohio doing, and what was the rest of the country doing?” Juan “John” Perez, the founder of Vista Village, said. “I think we were all doing the same thing. We were helping shelter people, but we weren’t really focusing on those individuals. They just wanted a helping hand.” 

Perez wants Vista Village to be a safe space and he says by providing individual homes, the residents can learn what it means to be a responsible homeowner. 

“There’s a lot of people in homelessness that they’re experiencing a situation, but all they need is a helping hand, the opportunity to be able to move forward and housing, of course, is critical to that, but also the additional services that people need to be able to succeed and become self-sufficient,” he said. 

The homes are identical, besides the different colors and different front-door locations. It also comes with a front porch, a combined kitchen and living room, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a closet.

“We’re basically just looking for people who are committed to personal growth,” Vista Village Executive Director Lexi Rogers said. 

Vista Village accepts people referred by agencies helping clients who are struggling. Residents must be able to get and hold a job that allows them to pay the $350 monthly rent. They must also stay sober.  

“We don’t want our residents to focus on, ‘Where do I get my next rent check,’ right?” Perez said. “We want them to focus on, ‘What do I have to do to improve myself?’”  

Residents are also responsible for keeping their homes clean on the inside and outside. They must do chores like mowing their lawns or shoveling their driveways. The homes are all named after the sponsor of the home, whether that be a company, organization or family. Perez said each sponsor decorated and furnished the home and also put together a welcome basket. 

“Their [residents] commitment to us is that they’re going to live in a structured environment, right?,”  Perez said. “One thing we’re trying to do is change behavior and change the way people think.”  

Perez said he anticipates most residents will spend about 18 to 24 months at Vista Village before graduating and finding their own place to call home.

“As they exit out, part of having them live at Vista Village is to create a support system because what happens when you’re homeless, you create a lot of isolation, a lot of loneliness, so building a community around our residents is crucial for them to succeed,” he said.  

Residents began moving in in January. Rogers said the response from people has been great so far. 

“Recently, probably a couple of weeks ago, we had a giant snowstorm here and we came in and two of our ladies who live here had shoveled the entire, all the sidewalks and the parking lot around the community center,” Rogers said. “I mean, nobody asked them to do that. I think that’s just a way that they’re showing they’re grateful for the opportunity to be here.” 

Vista Village also has a community center equipped with washers and dryers, a large gathering space, and a kitchen.  

Perez said they expect to have all the houses filled within the next 60 days. He also said that plans are in place for phase two — 80 homes that will be available to single parents and the elderly.