Livermore’s Goodness Village (GV) was established as a nonprofit in 2020, opened its doors for operation in June 2021, and reached its full capacity of 28 residents in September 2021. The nonprofit works to improve the lives of the unsheltered population by providing a supportive living community in the greater Tri-Valley community in partnership with local agencies and supporters. GV has served 43 individuals since its opening.

As California’s first permanent, supportive tiny home community nears its fourth anniversary, construction on GV’s long-awaited community center building is expected to begin in May. The new building will greatly contribute to the well-being of participants as well as volunteers, according to Executive Director Kim Curtis. A large dining room in the building will be a huge improvement for GV.

“We want participants to be able to invite their nearby friends and families to come and eat a meal with us because we know that connection is healing,” says Curtis. “We also want the volunteers who have been bringing these meals to be able to see people enjoy their food, and understand how important it is for residents to have nutritional meals and community connection.”

The community center will include a fitness and mindfulness room for yoga and other health-related activities. That is important for participants who have become more sedentary after finding a home. Exercise can be important for another reason as well, notes Curtis. “We want to have a space where residents can move their bodies and decrease the pain that they might feel moving into a bed. It is extremely painful to go from sleeping in a car, where you're sitting upright, or from lying on concrete or in a tent to an actual mattress.

The new building will also include a maker space for use by the many artists and creative individuals in the village. Especially exciting is the new laundry room, according to Curtis, who points out that the nearly 30 residents have been sharing one washing machine and one dryer for nearly four years. “We are hoping to be in our community center and able to really enhance our program and services by the end of the year or early new year,” Curtis says. The nonprofit hopes to expand the number of dwellings in the future as well.

According to Curtis, GV participants are people who have been unhoused for a significant period of time and have either a medical disability or a psychiatric disability. Some have picked up a substance use disorder to help them cope with living outside or navigating the loneliness or their chronic pain or their mental health. Oftentimes people develop a substance use disorder after they become homeless because of the harsh conditions.

The lives of most of these individuals are transformed after they are accepted into GV. They participate in a vocational program to develop or enhance employment skills. They have access to recovery specialists and registered nurses on site, and GV case management professionals work with them individually to address their specific needs. Moreover, there are staff members onsite at all times. That allows residents to feel safe after years of uncertainty and hardship.

The nonprofit will hold its annual fundraiser on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at 5 pm at the Pleasanton Senior Center. Tickets and business sponsorships are available now. Goodness Village also hosts team-building volunteer days at the village as well and welcomes support in a variety of ways, including changing attitudes.

“I would really love for people to realize that we don't have a single homeless person living in the Village,” says Curtis. “They are all in homes. They are your neighbors. They live in houses. And they're productively involved in their community.”

For more information about Goodness Village, please visit www.gvlivermore.org, www.facebook.com/gvlivermore, or www.instagram.com/gvlivermore.

To buy tickets or become a sponsor, please visit www.event.auctria.com/b6033531-81dc-4d76-9fe3-75b46f5fd0bb.

Architectural design and rendition by KTGY