From homeless to a place of their own: How ‘A Tiny Home for Good’ is helping people rebuild their lives

Syracuse, NY (CNN) — Andrew Lunetta saw the same pattern over and over while working at homeless shelters in Syracuse, New York.

Men would leave, move into the cheapest housing available, and soon return looking for a bed.

“It was a matter of months, sometimes weeks, that the same men would come back to the shelter,” said Lunetta, 36.

After nearly a decade, the lesson was clear to him: People were not failing at housing; housing was failing them.

Lunetta began asking residents what they wanted in a home. Repeatedly, they told him no roommates, no shared spaces, just a place of their own and support that would continue after they got housed.

That sparked Lunetta to create A Tiny Home for Good in 2014. The Syracuse-based nonprofit has built 23 tiny homes and refurbished almost two dozen other properties for people experiencing homelessness.

Lunetta says tiny homes offer “a sense of calm.” For people coming out of shelters – especially those dealing with trauma, mental illness, or substance use disorder – that can make the difference between short-term housing and long-term stability.

‘A radical concept’

The homes are small but complete, with a kitchen, bathroom, and a washer and dryer. Residents avoid the shared hallways, roommate conflicts, and constant noise that can make other housing arrangements difficult to sustain.

Yet the housing itself is only part of A Tiny Home for Good’s model. Lunetta and his team provide the long-term support that he says tenants need to succeed, whether that means help managing addiction, mental health care, or the day-to-day resources and work that stabilize their lives.

“The expectation that someone was going to get better after dealing with 10 years of homelessness, that they were going to all of a sudden make the right choices, that’s not the truth,” Lunetta said.

That support looks different for each tenant. Some need daily check-ins; others need less frequent contact. What matters most, Lunetta said, is patience and consistency and the understanding that progress will not look the same for everyone.

The work also extends beyond housing and case management. Staff and tenants gather for weekly walks through the neighborhood, and the organization hosts groups and activities that give residents a chance to connect and build relationships.

“For a lot of our tenants, that is a radical concept, to be invited to be a part of a walking group, or a writing club,” Lunetta said. “It’s just something that I think a lot of our tenants have never been afforded before.”

A Tiny Home for Good’s model meets tenants where they are. Tenants sign standard leases and pay rent based on income, usually capped at 30 percent. There is no sobriety requirement, no mandate to participate in counseling, and no deadline by which they must leave, Lunetta said.

For some, the housing is permanent. The organization’s first tenant moved in nearly 10 years ago and still lives there. For Lunetta, that kind of long-term stability is part of the goal.

“For some, my hope is that they’re going to be with us for the rest of their lives,” he said.

The organization now also renovates multi-bedroom homes for families experiencing homelessness.

‘Freedom to just exhale’

For resident Rhea Holmes, her tiny house meant the difference between life and death. After her husband of 26 years died, her life took a devastating turn. Consumed by grief, she lost her housing and spent eight months living at his grave.

“That was the only place that I felt was home for me,” Holmes said. “Whether I lived or died, it didn’t matter to me.”

In January, she moved into her tiny home with only the clothes on her back, an iPad and a phone. Now the space is filled with plants, pictures, and her belongings. Holmes says the home has given her “hope, freedom, peace.”

“It’s like freedom to just exhale,” Holmes said. “Your nervous system is now able to rest.”

She also credits the organization’s case management with helping her rebuild important basics of her life, including replacing her birth certificate, driver’s license, and Social Security card.

“My case manager has helped me regain my identity.”

Her story, Lunetta said, challenges the assumptions many people have about who experiences homelessness and how quickly life can unravel.

“The homeless population are still human,” Holmes said. “Any time your life can change.”

A Tiny Home for Good now houses 47 people, and Lunetta plans to keep growing, with 23 construction projects in the works that will house more people.

“I still don’t love being called a landlord, but it is true that’s what we are,” Lunetta said. “I think that what this population needs is landlords who care – and it’s absolutely what we do.”

Want to get involved? Check out A Tiny Home for Good’s website and see how to help.

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