“The Oakland, California project will nearly double Alameda county’s capacity to serve homeless youth.”

by Sara Tiano

Ayear ago, the spot on Hegenberger Road in Oakland’s industrial district was but a barren parking lot. Today, it is an art-drenched neighborhood of ‘tiny homes’ created by a local nonprofit, the latest effort to address California’s youth homelessness crisis.

The 26 tiny homes, each measuring 8 feet by 10 feet, feature skylights, heated floors and custom Murphy beds that, when folded up, transform into a table.  Each miniature house designed for one is painted in an array of bright colors and adorned with two full-wall murals draping the exterior, depicting everything from a serene moonlit mermaid scene to a bustling cityscape dotted with protest signs — all painted by local youth artists.

There are shared bathrooms and two community yurts: one filled with couches and armchairs like the common room of a college dorm, and the other a kitchen and dining space. Lines of colorful planter boxes snaking across the lot bear flowers, vegetables and fruit trees.

‘This village is a metaphor for everyone realizing their vision for a cohesive, copacetic environment for people to grow,’ said 20-year-old Sean McCreary, who developed the tiny home village project along with his peers at the nonprofit Youth Spirit Artworks.”

Read this article in its entirety at The Imprint, click here.