Iowa approves tiny home village for residents experiencing homelessness, with rent starting at $300

Iowa's planned tiny home community in Des Moines will have rent starting at $300 a month, the New York Post reported.

What's happening?

City approval is now in place for Joppa Village, allowing the Des Moines nonprofit Joppa to move ahead with a 54-unit tiny-home project.

According to the Post, development is intended for residents who meet federal criteria for chronic homelessness, including people living with disabilities or substance use disorders.

Under the plan laid out on Joppa's website, the tiny homes will be 192 to 384 square feet and each would include a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchenette. Rent will depend on unit size, ranging from $300 to $700 a month, and no income would be required to move in.

The proposal will also repurpose the former Chesterfield School, built around 1890, into a shared building. It will have communal dining, a kitchen, worship space, storage, on-site health care, and a new 5,000-square-foot gym addition, the Post noted.

"We are grateful for the Des Moines City Council and City staff's support of the Joppa Village project to help address homelessness in our community," Joe Stevens, Joppa's CEO and co-founder, said in a press release.

Why does it matter?

For people leaving the streets, having a private place to live can provide more stability, safety, and dignity than temporary shelter options.

Joppa's model is centered on permanent supportive housing, which is designed to help people stay housed rather than cycle in and out of homelessness.

The Post said Des Moines counted 178 chronically homeless people last summer, compared with 128 a year earlier. Joppa believes the tiny home community could eventually lower public costs as well, with projected savings of almost $3 million a year.

The project could also bring new life to an aging building in the Chesterfield School that some nearby residents have seen as an eyesore, the Post said. 

The project would also use tiny homes for a purpose beyond affordability trends. It would create lower-cost, service-rich housing options for people who are often shut out of the traditional rental market.

What's being done?

Joppa said the entire project, estimated to cost between $7.5 million and $10 million, will be funded through private donors and partners, as The Post reported.

The nonprofit is also building in opportunities for residents to earn money on-site. Work in groundskeeping, gardening, and janitorial roles is expected to pay $15 an hour.

As it plans the development, Joppa has looked to Austin's Community First! Village, the paper said. The Council of State Governments said that community has a 99% rent collection rate and 83% housing retention.

"It's a proven model in helping chronically homeless people find their forever home and stay there until they die," Stevens told The Post.

Joppa is aiming to break ground later this year, with move-ins possibly starting in 2027.

"Being able to have your own home and pay your own rent will be a big deal to a lot of these people," Stevens explained to The Post. "They will have a lot of pride in home ownership."

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