Tiny Home Village reaches 100% occupancy for the first time

Nicholas John Atencio lived in a tent on the streets of Albuquerque for three years.

“My mom passed away, and my dad, he moved out of town, and so me and my little brother, we were on the streets. It was horrible,” Atencio said. “That was the first time in my life that I was homeless. ... It was scary and a real eye-opener. I never, ever want to go back.”

His brother is still homeless. But Atencio has lived at the Tiny Home Village for the last nine months. He celebrated turning 43 there in May with singing and a cupcake from village staff. Atencio hadn’t celebrated his birthday since he was young.

“I was incarcerated all my 20s and half my 30s. I didn’t really celebrate,” Atencio said.

Atencio is one of 30 Tiny Home Village residents. Built in 2021, the 18- to 24-month transitional housing facility reached full capacity for the first time last month. Bernalillo County has run the Tiny Home Village since 2022.

On Tuesday, Atencio trimmed the rosebushes at the Tiny Home Village and cleaned out the flower beds.

Residents do not have to pay rent or utilities, but they do have to complete chores. The villagers also have to participate in a monthly villagers meeting, weekly case management and at least two groups per week — a clinical group and a life skills group.

“I’m really trying to bring community here,” said Beatrice Fierro, social service program manager. “This is a community. Be proud of where you live. This is your home. This will carry you to where you go next.”

Atencio was a landscaper once and goes above and beyond the chore requirement when he works on the flower beds. He knows how to work with his hands and can make jewelry boxes or tree toppers out of folded potato chip bags. He tattooed a detailed image of a woman on his own calf and when he was in prison, he cut hair for wardens and nurses. Eventually, he’d like to get certified in cosmetology and open a barber shop. Already, he has two barber chairs stored at his father’s house.

On Monday, Atencio dressed up for a screening for a housing voucher, which could help him pay for housing, and is waiting for a second assessment. Atencio has a 10-year-old son who he hasn’t seen in years. His son’s maternal grandparents have custody, and if Atencio can get stable housing, he might be able to get partial custody.

“I want to be a part of my son’s life,” Atencio said. “My dad was here for me, still here for me, regardless of what I’ve done. I have a good dad, and I want to be the same for my son.”

Photos: The Tiny Home Village reaches full occupancy since opening

Quiet days in the village

The Tiny Home Village is a collection of 30 free-standing units, 120-square-foot studio apartments designed to look like a small house with a front porch and stocked with a mini-fridge and queen-sized bed. The village also has several community bathroom facilities, a garden where sunflower plants have sprouted and the trees are laden with green apples, and a central building with laundry, a large kitchen, a TV, a computer, a private room to meet with counselors or social workers and staff offices.

Staff try to help occupants become self-sufficient, Fierro said. The facility is staffed 24 hours a day, and there are two case managers to help the 30 residents.

Ronika Hayes, 58, came to the Tiny Home Village after staying at Joy Junction for six months. The Houston native had a breakdown and ended up homeless in Albuquerque.

The structure offered at the Tiny Home Village has helped her, she said, and Hayes looks forward to getting up in the mornings to start quiet days in the village. She does not think about self harm anymore.

“I was such a basket case almost a year ago that if you were to ask me my name, I couldn’t even have told you my name,” Hayes said.

She’s applied for housing and is upbeat about the possibility of living on her own. Hayes has never lived alone before. She was married from age 15 until she was in her 40s, then lived with her daughter.

How the county increased occupancy

Newcomers adjusting from living on the street often have a tough time falling asleep on their first night in the tiny homes, Fierro said. After years without an apartment or home to take care of, some of the residents also have to relearn how to do household chores effectively.

When Atencio first moved into the Tiny Home Village, he slept for most of a week, then had to get used to doing chores again, like laundry and cleaning.

“Transition facilities should be the last step to permanent supportive housing,” Fierro said. The application process at the Tiny Home Village has been updated, she said, to help select residents who are ready for that transition period.

The county has made program changes to reduce barriers to entry, like eliminating a monthly utility contribution and discontinuing a 24/7 village resident volunteer requirement, according to a county news release.

The facility is fully staffed now, and the requirement that villagers be sober for 30 days before moving in was lifted in 2022. About 80% of the residents have experienced some type of substance use disorder, Fierro said. The village already offers therapy for substance-use disorders, and staff are considering how to bring in peer support specialists.

Substances like fentanyl, meth or alcohol are still not allowed on the property. The staff does safety inspections regularly to make sure windows are not blocked and air conditioners work, but in another procedural change, when substances are found, residents are not immediately walked off the property. Instead, staff members talk with them about why they felt the need to use drugs or alcohol again and bring it into the facility, then update the resident’s adjustment plan.

In the last five months, the facility has also made changes to fill gaps in services, like making it possible for residents’ mail to be delivered directly to the village instead of picked up from the post office biweekly.

The most helpful thing about staying at the Tiny Home Village is that it’s a safe place, Atencio said.

“I think this is a good place to get help, if you really want it. You’ve got to want it. ... I want it and I’ll do whatever it takes.”