A new tiny-house village in the city of Richmond held its grand opening Saturday, providing brightly colored homes and wraparound services for a dozen young people ages 18 to 24 experiencing homelessness.The Richmond Tiny Village officially opened Saturday, drawing more than 200 people to celebrate the new community for young adults who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, as KPIX reports.According to the Richmond Standard, the complex has 12 furnished tiny homes, plus a home for an on-site resident assistant, and shared spaces including a kitchen and dining room, living and maker space, laundry facilities, and a bathroom building with three private bathrooms. Residents ages 18 to 24 can stay for up to two years while working with a village manager/social worker and housing navigator to transition into permanent housing. The village will reportedly open initially with about half of its homes occupied for the first phase, when organizers will evaluate the program and seek input before bringing in six more residents the following year. Residents will be selected through Contra Costa County’s Coordinated Entry System, with a focus on young people from Richmond.The project was led by the nonprofit Tiny Village Spirit and is operated by Hope Solutions, with the farm and garden serving as a major part of the village’s programming. The Standard reports that residents can receive job training, learn urban gardening skills, participate in paid or stipend work, and connect with Richmond Police Activities League’s Culinary Club, which uses produce grown on-site.More than 3,000 volunteers from at least 83 organizations helped with the three-year project, contributing labor, materials, and other support. University of San Francisco architecture students helped design the village, Richmond YouthWORKS provided more than 60 young workers, and people incarcerated at San Quentin donated food and personal care supplies.“It’s sort of like a quilt that we all wove together,” said Sally Hindman, executive director of Tiny Village Spirit, speaking to the Standard.Tiny Village Spirit reportedly raised most of the money from individual donors and private foundations, with the project coming in at less than $1 million. Hindman said comparable tiny-home villages funded primarily through government money can cost around $14 million, while the unusually low cost here was possible because so much of the work was donated.KPIX spoke to artist Delilah Borg, who painted some of the murals throughout the village, including one depicting a young woman alongside the words “Dreams, Reality.” The artwork represents education, housing, and what Borg describes as the “stairs to success.”She told the outlet she hopes the village helps its residents create stable lives so they can follow their dreams.“I want them to pursue their education,” Borg said, speaking to KPIX. “I want them to understand that housing, and finding your own home, and being stable in your own home, is possible.” The first residents are expected to move into the village in the coming weeks.Related: Mission District Tiny Homes for Formerly Homeless Site Closing, But for More Housing for the Formerly Homeless ...read more read less