ARCADIA, Fla. — A DeSoto County nonprofit is taking a creative approach to fight homelessness. DeSoto Cares Homeless Services is building the 'Village of Tiny Town' - a collection of tiny homes that gives people a roof over their head.
Go inside Arcadia's homeless Tiny Town:
Tiny Town sits on a 6.5-acre plot of land just west of downtown Arcadia. DeSoto Cares volunteer Robert Vaughn says someone donated the land.
"Just making life easier for people on the street," Vaughn said. "But the ultimate goal is to find housing."
Vaughn credited Mike Provau with the idea. Provau chairs DeSoto Care's board and helped make Tiny Town happen. Provau and Vaughn said the conversation around homelessness started to heat up in Arcadia about ten years ago.
On social media, people complained about the apparent increase of homeless people around town. 23.1% of people DeSoto County experience poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, making it one of the poorest counties in Southwest Florida.
"I was born in Arcadia, I lived in Arcadia, I love Arcadia. When I was growing up, it wasn't like it is today," Provau said. "There was no such thing as homeless people that I was aware of. And to see our streets with them is painful for me."
Vaughn helped organize town hall meetings about Arcadia's homeless problem in 2014. DeSoto Cares formed out of those meetings, which Provau also attended. The group's ultimate goal is to help the homeless find housing, Vaughn said.
Tiny Town is perhaps the most visible part of that effort. Right now there is one unit on the property. DeSoto Cares plans to build nine more in collaboration with the county, Vaughn said, paid for with federal funds.
It cost the group $70,000 to put infrastructure on the land and build one home, Provau said. Donations and reimbursements through Florida's State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program paid for it.
There is no limit for people to stay in Tiny Town, Vaughn said. But the group does work to connect people with affordable housing and public housing.
Because DeSoto County is rural, Vaughn said, people may think housing is cheaper. But people still struggle to find affordable housing. That's what happened to Hubert Clark, Jr, who lost his apartment to Hurricane Ian.
"I had no place to live," Clark said. "I had to instantly move."
Clark said he initially lived in a shelter, but couldn't find another affordable place to live. So, he lived on the street for about two months.
"It was very challenging," Clark said.
Eventually, Clark connected with Provau and moved into the fist Tiny Town home after it was finished in April 2024. The rest of the homes are expected to be finished in 2026, DeSoto Cares said.
The home isn't very big. But there's a bathroom, bedroom, and living area with a kitchen. Clark said he's just happy to have a roof over his head.
"I don't need a lot," Clark said. "I just need a home."
