Tackling homelessness head on, Part Two: Eden VIllage project picks up major donor, hires a CEO

After a year of hard work, the founder of Tulsa’s Eden Village, a community of tiny homes designed to house the chronically homeless, says he’s seeing real progress, with a new CEO on board and a major donor putting up a million-dollar challenge grant.

Brad Johnson, who previously shared his story with KRMG, updated our reporter on that progress recently, along with that new CEO and Community Director, Danny Stockstill.

[Hear the KRMG In-Depth Report on Eden Village HERE]

Stockstill has served a pastor for a number of local churches, and has also worked for twenty years as a chaplain with the Tulsa police and fire departments.

He tells KRMG that experience taught him a lot about homelessness.

“We had a constant, revolving door of homeless come through, and so I got to know them. Got to know their names, got to know their stories. And so what happens, is you begin realizing that the people standing outside your door when you pull up to a stoplight have names, they’ve got histories, they’ve got families... they’re people.”

He says it’s important to understand that Eden Village will provide much more than just a place for the chronically homeless to sleep.

He’ll spend most of his time at the community center, he told KRMG, helping residents get the services they need to become fully autonomous, contributing members of the community.

The original Eden Village, in Springfield, Missouri, had opposition when it was announced, partially because it was planned to sit near an elementary school.

“In fact, one of the school board members in Springfield was adamantly against this,” Stockstill said. “And after a year of observation and being a part of it and seeing, he actually came in and said ‘hey, how do I help you guys do what you’re doing?’”

Johnson said they have plans to expand the concept into several areas of town, and he believes that, as in Springfield, people who see the results will want to get involved.

The Helmerich Trust has signed on to help generate as much support as possible, offering a million-dollar matching grant and challenging other businesses and foundations, as well as individuals, to participate.

Those interested can make a donation here.