Meet our Neighbors
Tammy & Barbara’s Story
Sisters, Tammy and Barbara, have been living in their car for 2 years. Stories like theirs speak to a need for new supportive housing solutions like the Good Neighbor Village. “We can’t afford to turn around and pay a thousand dollars for rent plus light, gas, the car, and still be able to live. It’s crazy… We also both have CMT. It’s a genetic disorder. It affects nerves and balance. I was diagnosed with bone cancer two years later.” – Tammy
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Sisters, Tammy and Barbara, have always been there for each other. When their own kids grew up and moved away, Tammy and Barbara moved in together to take care of each other and share living costs. After their rent was raised, they moved into into their car and, since then, it’s been two years of instability. We met the sisters when they came to our women’s shelter and got to sit down with them to hear some of their experience.
“We can’t afford to turn around and pay a thousand dollars for rent plus light, gas, the car, and still be able to live. It’s crazy… We also both have CMT. It’s a genetic disorder. It affects nerves and balance. I was diagnosed with bone cancer two years later.” – Tammy
READ POWERFUL TESTIMONIES ABOUT LIVES THAT HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED & RESTORED on www.trm.org/stories/
The Challenge: Housing for Chronically Homeless
There is a severe lack of effective care and housing solutions for our chronically homeless neighbors.
About 3,500 people in Pierce County are unhoused at any point. 1,000 of these are “chronically homeless,” meaning they’ve been without stable shelter for at least one year. For many, it’s 5, 10, 20 years.
Our chronically homeless neighbors face the most difficulty getting into stable housing. Solutions that work for short-term homelessness — emergency shelters, treatment programs, job-skills training — are not as effective for chronic homelessness.
The painful reality is the majority of our chronically homeless neighbors will remain homeless for the rest of their lives, dying on the street or in emergency shelters.
By providing effective options, our chronically homeless neighbors can get the help they need. In turn, it would free up space for those who could benefit most from short-term care and support.
The Solution: Good Neighbor Village
GOOD NEIGHBOR VILLAGE (GNV) will provide permanent housing and care to Pierce County’s chronically homeless neighbors. Restoring dignity, purpose, and stability within a safe, supportive and healing community.
Whole-life transformation and restoration happens in community. That’s our hope for every one of our residents as they transition from years of surviving on the streets to a forever home nestled in supportive community at the Good Neighbor Village (GNV).
Here are just a few highlights of what GNV will offer:
- GNV is based on the Community First! Village, a successful model outside of Austin, Texas.
- It will have 285 beautiful, single-unit homes that each resident can personalize to their style, interests, and needs. All homes will be located on a property near Joint Base Lewis McChord in Spanaway.
- There will be onsite supportive services provided for residents including health and dental care, mental health counseling, addiction recovery treatment, and more.
- Restored purpose and responsibility. Residents will be expected to pay rent, uphold community rules, and seek employment opportunities (which will be offered onsite).
- The preserved, surrounding wetlands will provide a peaceful and healing environment.
- GNV will have 28 units for “Missionals” – people from the larger community, employed outside of the village who volunteer to live in and serve the village, its residents, and its neighbors.