Tiny home villages are ending homelessness for veterans in Colorado and four other states

There’s no “one size fits all” solution to the problem of homelessness, but one idea is taking off, and Colorado is among the first states to give it a shot.

The nonprofit Veterans Community Project broke ground on its sixth tiny home village this week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Each 240-square-foot home is part of a community designed to help military veterans regain their stability and independence after experiencing homelessness. Since welcoming its first residents in Kansas City in 2018, the organization has helped hundreds of veterans transition out of homelessness with an 85 percent success rate.

Veterans who complete the program successfully move into permanent housing in an average of 335 days. So far in 2025, 29 veterans have graduated from a tiny home into their own permanent housing. The six villages are located in Glendale, Arizona; Kansas City, Missouri; Longmont, Colorado; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; St. Louis, Missouri and now Milwaukee, Wisconsin, bringing the total to 240 homes.

The homes are built on foundations, connected to city utilities and include a full kitchen, bath and living area. They use design principles that promote healing, including a barracks-style layout that feels familiar and safe.

It’s not just housing, it’s help getting their lives together. A Village Center will be built where residents work with on-site case managers to address housing barriers and work toward individual goals. The Milwaukee village costs $11.7 million and includes $2.5 million from the State of Wisconsin and funding from the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team.