Pulaski County officials plan to create a community village made up of micro cottages and environmentally friendly tiny homes that would provide affordable, permanent-quality housing for people coming out of chronic homelessness.
Future residents of the village would be required to apply. Residents would have the opportunity to earn an income that will help them pay rent, one of the requirements of living in the village. Chronically homeless people are the target population for the village, and sex offenders will not be permitted as residents, according to the office of Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde.
The village -- modeled after "Community First! Village" near Austin, Texas -- would include a health clinic, community kitchen, an entrepreneur hub and land for farming to help the growth and stability of its residents.
[Read Community Village FAQ » arkansasonline.com/18FAQ/]
"This project is an exciting new concept in providing permanent, supportive, affordable, and sustainable housing to the chronically homeless based in a loving and hospitable environment with amenities to improve the quality of life," according to Hyde's office.
"The concept that a homeless person can best focus on the cause of his or her homelessness if his or her basic human needs are being met including a sense of being placed -- a connection, loyalty, affection, identity, ownership, a location, a home, a community."
The village would be at 6900 Green Road on a 150-acre lot in a rural part of southwest Pulaski County, south of Little Rock's city limits. The village itself would occupy about 60 acres, according to the county.
The property was selected because of its "location, size and proximity to resources," such as transportation services, but no current plan is in place.
Money for the creation of the village is coming from American Rescue Plan funds, with $5 million set aside to create the village, according to the county.
The county will be responsible for developing the project, and a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization will be responsible for overseeing the village. The next step will be the formation of an advisory committee, which will be finalized and announced in the next few weeks, the county said.
[Read Executive summary » arkansasonline.com/18summary/]
The advisory committee will develop the village's operations manual, based on the "Community First! Village" model; determine the requirements and expectations for a "request for proposal" for a non-profit to be selected to oversee the community village; and have Pulaski County personnel "select members of the advisory committee" review proposals and select the nonprofit.
The selected non-profit organization will work with existing organizations such as the Central Arkansas Team Care for the Homeless, the Arkansas Homeless Coalition, The Van, Our House and Jericho Way, the county said.
The non-profit will also be responsible for fundraising, overseeing the development, collaborating with local community members, organizations and businesses, and coordinating volunteers and staff.
The County said it expects to begin construction in early 2023, with the community village to be able to accept residents at the end of the year.
Little Rock has been considering a similar project.
In 2022, the city focused on a property at 3101 West 32nd Street -- owned by a Little Rock municipal employee -- for a homeless shelter and micro-home village at the site. But City Manager Bruce Moore withdrew from the property purchase after the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that two city-commissioned appraisals indicated the market value of the property was significantly lower than the sum the city planned to pay.
Moore said Tuesday that he is awaiting an appraisal on a different piece of property and, if it is in the acceptable range, he will ask the Little Rock Board of Directors for approval to purchase the land in February.