Tulsa Man Working To Build Tiny Home Neighborhood For People Who Have Been Homeless

A Tulsa man is the driving force behind what will be a new neighborhood of tiny homes.

It's going to be called Eden Village and it's housing for people who have been homeless.

The neighborhood is planned for land near 61st West Avenue, off Charles Page Boulevard, near the Sandy Park Apartments.

In what’s an empty field now, Brad Johnson sees opportunity for affordable housing through small, pre-fabricated houses.

“That's a good value. You can't duplicate that with an apartment complex or two or three story building,” said Johnson.

He believes 50 homes could be build, for about $50,000 each, on a 17 acre site that’s undeveloped now.

Each home is 400 square feet. The charity, Eden Village Tulsa, would lease them for $350 a month.

“It’s a great investment from a community standpoint because we're getting those people off the streets into a safe place,” said Johnson. "Eden Village would qualify residents to make sure they can handle the rent and responsibility, with support, on-site.”

“You can't just stick them someplace without any support and expect most of them to thrive. That's just not going to happen. They need some help. They're broken folks,” Johnson said.

The model for Tulsa comes from Springfield, Missouri, where two Eden Villages are open now. Villages have opened in other cities, but the one in Tulsa would be the first for Oklahoma.

The site in Tulsa already has compatible zoning, but has yet to receive final approval from the City of Tulsa. Once that happens, Johnson said he believes the site could be developed and open within a year.

Click here to learn more about Eden Village.