EL CAJON (KGTV) — Just over three years after opening its doors, a tiny home community in El Cajon is celebrating a major milestone: helping dozens of women and children experiencing homelessness find safety and a path toward permanent housing.
When Meridian-Amikas Village opened on the campus of Meridian Southern Baptist Church in December 2022, its mission was simple— provide emergency shelter while connecting women and their children with the resources they need to rebuild their lives.
Today, that mission is showing measurable results.
According to organizers with Amikas, the nonprofit organization behind the project, the six emergency sleeping cabins have served a total of 64 women and children since opening back in December 2022. Now, the nonprofit and the church are preparing for the next phase of the village by adding four more tiny homes.
"The vision is we're going to build four more," said Lead Pastor Rolland Slade. "At least three will go in this area here, and then maybe one over there."
The expansion comes after years of success stories from residents who have used the temporary housing as a stepping stone toward stability.
"We've seen phenomenal stories," Slade said. "Ladies who have moved in, got their life together, spent time here."
ABC 10News first visited the site in 2019 as volunteers broke ground on the project. The village, made possible through the Amikas and volunteer labor, officially opened three years later.
Each tiny home costs less than $10,000 to build, making the project a relatively low-cost solution for emergency housing. The City of El Cajon also contributed $25,000 to support the effort.
For residents, the impact extends far beyond having a roof overhead.
"For the first time in a long time, I felt safe," one resident previously told ABC 10News.
Church leaders say every family that moves into permanent housing reinforces the importance of continuing the program.
"Something that, even as a congregation, we celebrate the lives that are changed," Slade said. "We get a chance to do what we do as a church — just love on them."
If construction stays on schedule, organizers hope to begin building the additional tiny homes as early as September, allowing the village to serve even more women and children in need.
