Every year, Anchorage, Alaska averages 75-80 inches of snow, with winter temperatures often dipping down to 11°F to 15°F. 

The weather makes for beautiful, picturesque photos of a city tucked below snow-capped mountains, but it also makes for a very difficult life for locals experiencing homelessness. 

That’s why Central Lutheran Church built six tiny homes in their parking lot and welcomed homeless seniors to take shelter on their property. 

“I’m just happy here,” senior resident Mark Henderstien told KTUU, an Alaskan news station. 

The project was funded by In Our Backyard, an Anchorage-based nonprofit founded by members of the Central Lutheran Church. 

In a mission statement, the nonprofit talks about “living in God’s abundant grace” through acts of service and compassion.

“In Our Backyard is an opportunity to be proactive in addressing the needs of our unhoused neighbors,” the nonprofit writes on its website. 

“With support from multiple faith-based organizations, community groups, nonprofits, and local agencies, this project will serve as a model for other organizations to support unhoused community members in their own neighborhoods.”

In Our Backyard Board President Julie Greene-Graham said that the community embraced the tiny home residents by pitching in to donate food, blankets, and household supplies to their new neighbors.  

“We want people in the community to feel good about this program and support it and so far, they have,” Greene-Graham said.

So far three people — and one labrador named Thor — have moved into the tiny home village. 

The plan is to help people for six-to-nine months, but Green-Graham also said the program is built to be flexible. Each resident must follow community rules and work with a case manager while they live in their home. 

“I feel it’s successful when you see people have already made changes in their lives,” Greene-Graham said. 

“They’re already being more responsible; they’re already taking care of themselves better than they were before. They have hope and I think that’s huge.”

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Header images via Julie Greene-Graham / In Our Backyard