After looking at six Tiny Villages, we identified four common elements of many successful Tiny Villages. This paper aims to understand effective strategies that underlie the Tiny Villages concept by analyzing six case studies and applying the lessons learned to improving the Bridge Healing Program. Building on the ideas of Tiny Villages, the Bridge Healing Program provides residents with immediate temporary housing before transitioning them to permanent homes. The Bridge Healing Program has been proposed in Edmonton, Alberta, as a novel approach to combat homelessness by using hospital emergency departments (ED) as a gateway to temporary housing. This balance of being responsive to the safety guidelines of COVID-19, while also maintaining social connection and community building, highlights the need for social work to embrace new and innovative responses to homelessness and other social issues, particularly given the uncertainties and complexities of the future.Įmerging evidence shows that homelessness continues to be a chronic public health problem throughout Canada. Two primary themes emerged through analysis: (1) villages prioritize safety through physical distancing, and (2) villages preserve social connection and combat isolation. Through qualitative analysis of 32 open-ended survey responses of experts working and/or living in tiny home communities addressing homelessness, we explore how these leaders in the field responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.

People experiencing homelessness are more likely than the general population to have health risks, such as diabetes and heart disease, both of which can increase the risk of death for people who test positive for COVID-19. Furthermore, closed agencies and limited transportation can increase risk for isolation. Physical distancing can be challenging for people experiencing homelessness due to the crowded congregate shelters and encampments.

The gaps and inadequacies of conventional shelter systems in the USA for people experiencing homelessness have been highlighted by COVID-19. Using an international human rights framework, this study explores how tiny home villages have provided unhoused individuals with critical shelter necessary for preserving health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, while attending to the needs of social connection and community maintenance.

Tiny house belgique