The Tiny Village project in the parking lot of the Westview Presbyterian Church is set to break ground at the end of May or in early June, and is expected to provide shelter for 34 homeless people.
Community Action Board (CAB), which will manage the site, expects it to be complete at the end of October or early November.
The site has been controversial since it came to light in October 2023. Neighbors mounted an appeal that was rejected in March.
Now, with the site a near inevitability, officials from CAB—which has never overseen a project like the Tiny Village—gave a presentation to the Watsonville City Council on May 13, outlining their operational plans.
The item was informational only; the council took no action.
CEO MariaElena De La Garza said the 60-year-old organization has reached out to neighbors and businesses to “build partnership, find common ground” and answer questions from concerned neighbors.
The organization was also there to list its experience in helping people experiencing housing insecurity.
CAB assists some 10,000 folks on an annual basis, De La Garza said, “and we are committed to reflect the community that we serve, and I as a proud daughter of Watsonville feel privileged to help move our mission to eliminate poverty forward,” she added.
The Tiny Village project was initially proposed by Monterey County as a way to clear the Pajaro River Levee of unsanctioned campsites as officials prepare to rebuild the levee. It was funded through an $8 million Encampment Resolution Funding grant from the State of California.
CAB’s programs include homelessness assistance, employment, immigration legal services, youth and community development and emergency response programs.
It also includes rental assistance, the Youth Homeless Response Team and Watsonville Works, a program that allows homeless people to work on cleaning the community while earning money.
That group will have a regular presence with litter abatement and beautification.
CAB Director of Programs and Impact Paz Padilla said the organization offers a shelter hotline, a eviction prevention services and shelter assistance, and has helped thousands of people stay in their residences.
CAB also runs the GEMMA program, which helps formerly incarcerated women adapt back into society, and Transitional Aged Youth Navigation services (TAYNAV), for young people affected by the juvenile justice system.
“CAB has a longstanding experience in homelessness services, rooted in building trust, providing resources and helping people thrive,” Padiulla said.
Once up and running, the village will be a fenced, closed campus with a single entry point. CAB will hire a private company to provide security services, and there will be round-the-clock video surveillance.
Sex offenders will not be permitted to live in the village, and residents will be given employment and housing navigation services.
Mike Kittredge of the Community Action Board said that camping in and around the property will not be allowed, and that the organization will work with Watsonville Police to make sure it does not happen.
Officials will make sure that residents do not use their vehicles for storage, Kittredge said, and vehicles that are not registered—or that do not run—will be towed, he said.
CAB officials also say that staff will be trained in de-escalation techniques and in conflict resolution.
“CAB is committed to provide a safe and secure project for residents and the neighborhood and the community,” De La Garza said. “And we are committed to being a model program, this is our community. This is my hometown. These are folks that we have been working with that have been part of our services for many, many years. We are here in good faith, we are here with a commitment to make a difference to be part of the solution.”
