By Marisa Young | Reporter
Mission Waco is in the process of building their Creekside Community Village, which will offer low-cost, permanent housing to currently homeless individuals. According to Mission Waco’s website, the village will consist of micro homes which foster interactive work.
“Homelessness is something you experience; it’s not something that you are,” Creekside Village Chief Carlos Hinojosa said.
Having a leading role in planning the village, Hinojosa said the project is designed with a “very heavy emphasis on community.”
“We know that housing alone will not solve homelessness, but we believe that community will,” Hinojosa said. “That is what is baked into our model.”
One way in which community is integrated in the village’s design is the partially-plumbed houses. Residents will utilize centralized bathroom areas and community kitchens, which ensures they leave their home and interact with others throughout the day.
According to Hinojosa, the reasoning behind a heavy emphasis on community is to remedy the problem of isolation which homeless individuals often face.
“Many folks that end up in that situation [of homelessness] are reclusive … because people don’t always treat them well,” Hinojosa said.
To fight the stigma, the village as a whole is intentionally structured to foster connection, Hinojosa said.
“The homes will be oriented so that their front doors face each other,” Hinojosa said. “We are strongly encouraging people to interact with one another.”
According to Hinojosa, this project was born several years ago after a low-budget motel in Waco was torn down. This, along with the steadily-rising economy in Waco, displaced many homeless individuals.
In addition to previously homeless people, Hinojosa said the village will include a certain number of residents who have not experienced homelessness.
“We anticipate having some families that have not experienced homelessness be living out at Creekside as ‘missional residents’ to walk side-by-side with the folks that have experienced homelessness,” Hinojosa said.
These residents will consist of people who desire to live alongside those who have struggled and potentially minister to them by doing so.
“This is part of what Jesus called us to do, to help the poor,” Hinojosa said. “And the way he did it was by living and walking among the people he helped.”
In addition to living in the village, Hinojosa said he expects there will be other ways for Waco residents and students to get involved. In accord with the Biblical example of Jesus, he emphasized the importance of “not just to observe, but to walk alongside our friends.”
Frisco sophomore Ella Walker said she is excited to see how the Creekside Community Village impacts not just the homeless but also the greater Waco community.
“I believe it would offer service opportunities for students looking to benefit their community,” Walker said. “I’ve served the homeless community before, so I would like that opportunity to serve again.”
She also said she hopes the integrated-work style of the village will make a difference in the mental well-being of people who have experienced homelessness.
“I think it will be good for the homeless to be part of a community, and also to be actively working because I think that’s what humans are meant to do in general,” Walker said. “Being homeless, it would be easy to lose that sense of community and purpose, so I think that would definitely help.”
Hinojosa said he hopes these homes will be open for move-in at the beginning of next year. In addition to financial donations, he hopes people will contribute to the project by getting educated about the homeless community and approaching conversations surrounding homelessness with openness and humility.
