Soquel church plans sustainable tiny homes for formerly homeless residents

Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Soquel is moving toward a six-home first phase that would replace the six cabins now standing on its property and give formerly homeless residents safer, more durable shelter. The project, called New Creation Village, pairs People First of Santa Cruz County with Just Places, with the church remaining the landowner and People First taking on service-provider duties.

The design leans hard into climate-conscious building. Just Places says the homes would use straw bale, natural plaster and solar power, with the first-phase cabins built as LEED-certified units and designed to last as long as 100 years. Local reports describe the tiny homes as about the size of two large walk-in closets, a compact footprint that still aims to deliver a sturdier upgrade from the unpermitted volunteer-built structures people have been living in on the church lot since 2022.

The pitch is not just greener construction, but a more livable housing setup. The current cabins are meant to be replaced with homes that are safer and more durable, while the long lifespan is intended to make the project more than a short-term stopgap. Just Places has described Mount Calvary Lutheran Church as long dedicated to housing the homeless, and the nonprofit says New Creation Village is meant to provide permanent, green housing in a village setting.

Funding is still the biggest hurdle. Evan Morrison, the founder and executive director involved in the effort, says the group would begin building in May next year if financing comes together. The second phase would go further, with as many as 10 apartment units on the same property, each with in-unit bathrooms and kitchenettes, and some units set aside for people with Section 8 vouchers.

The timing matters in Santa Cruz County, where homelessness remains severe even after a recent drop. The county’s 2025 Point-in-Time Count, conducted on January 30, 2025, identified 1,473 people experiencing homelessness, a 20 percent decrease from 2024. County officials still say persistent challenges remain for residents with disabling health conditions, which is exactly the population projects like New Creation Village are trying to serve with something sturdier than a tent, a cabin, or a temporary fix.