Minneapolis invests $1.2M more in tiny-home shelter Avivo Village
MINNEAPOLIS – Avivo Village, the Minneapolis homeless shelter comprised of 100 indoor tiny homes, is getting more funding from the city.
The Minneapolis City Council approved $1.2 million for the nonprofit, bringing its total city-sourced funding to $4.8 million since it opened last year.
Mayor Jacob Frey says the shelter's model - consisting of "secure, private dwellings and wraparound services" - is a successful one.
"When people get the dignity of their own space, they can better take the next step toward permanent housing," Frey said.
WCCO recently reported on the nearly 200 police visits made to Avivo Village since March of 2021, the majority of which were overdose calls.
John Tribbett with Avivo's Ending Homelessness Division says more than 70 overdoses were reversed in that time period.
"More than likely if those individuals had been residing on the street at the time of those overdoses, some of those individuals would not be here with us today," Tribbett said.
The city council's approval of the funding came during the same meeting where a measure to halt the forcible removal of homeless encampments failed by a vote of 5-8.
The vote came in the aftermath of the forced clearings and evictions of three encampments in the city by police earlier this month. This led to a protest at city hall in downtown Minneapolis, where activists and people experiencing homelessness camped outside the building for several nights.