The Community First Village in Austin, Texas, which launched a blueprint for tiny home solutions, is inspiring folks elsewhere in the USA, including Des Moines, Iowa.

Joppa Village is an official replicator of Community First! Village. Privately funded through Joppa’s generous donors and partners, the Village is projected to save the City nearly $3 million each year with its first 50 residents. It aims to break ground this year, with the first residents potentially moving in 2027.

Rent for its tiny cottage homes will start at $300 a month for the smallest unit, going up to $700 for the biggest, and an abandoned 19th century schoolhouse will be a community hub with a chapel, gym and free health services.

Supportive services will include work opportunities, access to public transportation, healthcare, communal dining, and more.The homes range from 192 to 384 square feet in size. 

Potential residents need to meet federal criteria for chronic homelessness but will not be required to have an income to move in, as the village will offer on-site employment opportunities, like $15/hour groundskeeping, gardening, and janitorial work.

Joppa, a Des Moines-based homeless nonprofit, cleared its first approval hurdle in the fall of 2025. And last month, the Des Moines Zoning Board of Adjustment unanimously approved a conditional-use permit, which will allow the nonprofit to use the 15,000-square-foot former school building, as well. The city council’s resolution will provide a 20-year lease for the village, as long as Joppa keeps up with performance standards. 

“We have been working with the City of Des Moines for years to develop a community that will provide permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless individuals,” said a Joppa spokesperson. “While some project details have evolved over time, our vision for the Joppa Village has remained the same: Create a village community of unconditional love and support for our chronically homeless neighbors and help them rediscover hope, so they can once again become productive citizens and live a life of meaning.”

‍The Village is truly a collaborative project with the widespread support of over 100 partners in central Iowa.