The model for a tiny home complex for young adults will soon expand to a second location in Colorado Springs to help more homeless and at-risk adults transition into permanent housing.

The community nonprofit We Fortify is preparing to open Prospect Village, a community of 18 tiny homes on Prospect Street that will provide affordable housing and support teams to people between the ages of 18 and 25. The village will follow the same model as the Working Fusion tiny home community the nonprofit opened in the Mill Street neighborhood in 2022.

The zoning changes and plans for Prospect Village were unanimously approved by the Colorado Springs City Council during its initial public hearing on Tuesday. The zoning exemptions will allow many tiny homes to coexist on a lot instead of adding density through a multi-story apartment building.

We Fortify CEO Shelley Jensen said there was a need to expand the housing options for young adults who are leaving the foster care system or are currently unhoused. More than 150 applications have been received for the tiny homes currently available, which charge $600 a month in rent.

“It’s important to have these villages to help the homeless population because this is something that is not just reactive. If we can do something for their lives early on, it’s better for everyone,” Jensen said.

We Fortify purchased the lot on Prospect Street in the spring of 2024 using $470,000 in funds from Proposition 123, the state affordable housing fund that Colorado voters approved in 2022. The village will be built adjacent to Flanagan Park and Colorado Springs Senior Homes, a few blocks north of Fillmore Street.

The common area at Working Fusion includes an outdoor porch and garden, but the main hangout area is in a modified shipping container. The container comes with nice couches and food, but is only slightly larger than the homes, and Jensen said it doesn’t have great heating options for the winter.

Prospect Village will come with a much larger common space: the single-family home that currently exists on the lot. Jensen said the inside of the house would be opened up and renovated by knocking out a few walls. The communal vision includes dining tables large enough for group meals with all the residents, a bedroom converted into a private therapy space and a large kitchen.

“We don’t expect every 18-year-old to get along, but we give them a welcoming community where they can offer peer support,” Jensen said.

The detached garage on the property will be renovated to store personal items that can’t fit in the small homes.

Prospect Village was met with some apprehension from neighbors after it was first announced, with questions about who would be allowed to live there and whether it would add too many cars or activity to the neighborhood. Jensen said they were able to point to the success of Working Fusion to address those concerns, either with tours or by explaining the process at a December meeting with neighbors.

“They want to protect the neighborhood and want to make sure that we are fitting in and are in no way at all destructive,” We Fortify spokesperson Claire Franco said.

Only two neighbors spoke about the project during the City Council hearing on Tuesday. Melissa Hardy said she was excited about the new supportive housing coming into the long-abandoned property. The other, Rob Spitzer, had signed up to speak against the project but said he was won over by the presentations.

Jensen said the plan will begin with doing the infrastructure work on the site as soon as they get final approval from the city at the next council meeting. Because We Fortify owns the Prospect Street property, the tiny homes can be placed on permanent concrete foundations instead of wheel bases.

We Fortify is also working to provide housing at Wendy’s Village, a partnership with Harrison School District 2 to provide 20 duplexes to house teachers working for the district. Wendy’s Village is larger than either of the tiny home villages and is projected to cost around $6.1 million.

Jensen said the project was set back earlier this year when $1 million in Congressional Directed Spending that had been requested by senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet for the housing was cut from the current federal budget. Both Wendy’s Village and Prospect Village are still fundraising and recruiting volunteers to complete the work.