WELCOMING, EMPOWERING, SAFE HABITATION INITIATIVE WITH NEIGHBORHOOD ENGAGEMENT
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Micro-Villages

At the heart of our mission

WeShine’s micro villages are a key part of The WeShine Model, which includes our philosophy and approach. For information about specific villages, see these pages:

Villages emphasize supported self-governance and community building, resulting in a positive sense of belonging, support, and acceptance.

WeShine villages are micro-villages located on small pieces of private land. They have wooden fencing, a security system, and locked gates. Only authorized visitors are allowed in a WeShine micro-village. 

Villages consist of 10 private sleeping pods, plus 3 community buildings. Each pod has a lockable front door,  windows, a bed, desk, storage, AC/heating, and front porch area.

Community buildings offer shared space for basic hygiene and sanitation needs (toilets, showers, and laundry) and space for meetings and group activities.

Each village offers internet service, help to access smart phones,  access to tablets and computers that villagers can use to connect with services, make appointments, do research, and send and receive messages.

WeShine helps patrol and clean up the grounds daily, and persuades any RVs or campers adjacent to the village to move along. 

For more information, see The WeShine Model: Location, Design and Construction.

 

Staff and Services

Each village is staffed with a Village Manager, a Lead, and two Program Specialists who have a blend of client-facing and operational roles. Two staff are on site seven days a week. Program Specialists rotate after-hours coverage, and are backed up by leadership staff.

Staff work to connect villagers to services provided by community partners, such as:

  • Rent Well classes
  • Community-building activities
  • Community lunch program
  • Clothing closet
  • Food pantries
  • Employment opportunities

For more information, see The WeShine Model: Staff and Services

 

Rules, Policies, and Procedures

Villagers are required to 

  • Sign a Good Guest Agreement that outlines expectations about behavior and progress toward housing.
  • Meet 1:1 with staff every week to set goals and check progress toward housing. 
  • Attend weekly Village Council Meetings (other committee meetings are optional).
  • Perform three hours of volunteer chores each week, such as keeping common areas clean, watering plants, sweeping pathways, and participating in village committees.

WeShine micro-villages are low-barrier and practice harm-reduction. This does NOT mean accepting all behavior. WeShine guests are held accountable for their behavior and are asked to leave if – after receiving several warnings – they do not meet the agreed-upon community expectations.

Substance use is only allowed within the privacy of a guest’s pod. No drug dealing, cooking, or public use of substances is allowed.

 

Pets

Every effort is made to keep pets with their owners. However, WeShine does have policies:

  • Pets are not automatically accepted into the village and there is a limit to how many pets are allowed in each village. 
  • Pets are screened to ensure they are not aggressive towards people or other animals.  
  • Only one dog is allowed per sleeping pod (up to 3 dogs per village).
  • Cats will only be accepted if the villager agrees that WeShine can install a catio outside one of their windows. Only one cat is allowed per sleeping pod. 
  • Villagers are expected to independently feed and care for their pets, keep their animals under control, use designated pet areas, and to clean up after them.

Learn more about our 2 other WeShine villages: