SLC’s village of tiny houses to expand by nearly 400 homes — if the money comes in​on September 24, 2025 at 12:00 pm

The village of tiny houses on Salt Lake City’s west side kicked off its second phase Tuesday with officials vowing to build hundreds of new units for formerly homeless Utahns.

Villages officials have more than half the money they need to get rolling on a second phase.   

The village of tiny houses on Salt Lake City’s west side kicked off its second phase Tuesday with officials vowing to build hundreds of new units for formerly homeless Utahns.

The Miller and Boyer families, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the state have already committed $30 million to the expansion project at The Other Side Village. The church and the state have pledged $5 million and $3 million, respectively, village officials said.

“Now is the time for all of us — individuals, businesses and community organizations — to come together to help this effort grow,” Gail Miller, chair of the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation, said. “We believe in what’s possible here. We see it. We don’t have to just believe. It’s real. It’s here. It’s happening.”

Village co-founder Ted Broman said the organization was still looking to raise another $24 million to build 396 new units on surrounding city land to the north and west of the current neighborhood near Indiana Avenue and Redwood Road. Besides fundraising, the organization needs to finalize its lease for the property and iron out city permits before it begins building. The Other Side Foundation CEO Tim Stay said the organization is looking to complete the second phase of construction by the end of 2028.

Currently, 22 people who were formerly homeless live at the village. Another 24 are in the community’s pipeline program, called The Other Side Prep School. The organization is putting the finishing touches on the first phase of the village, with a handful of homes still under construction.

The prep school program, meanwhile, is undergoing its own expansion. Stay said the program’s residential building at 630 E. 100 South should open in the winter, allowingfor more people to go through the organization’s rigorous training course.

“From a personal level, every time I pass someone who’s on the street, on a corner, I think, ‘Next year, you could be one of our neighbors, and next year, you could be living a very different life,’” Stay said. “And that’s really exciting to think of all the people who don’t have to go through that misery and suffering.”

It’s not just new units that are set to come on line.

An on-site clinic that will be managed by Sacred Circle Healthcare will offer an array of medical services to villagers and other west-siders, and is due to open in November. Construction is also underway on a hotel on the property that will be run by Other Side participants. In its final form, the village will feature retail space for the organization’s other so-called social enterprises and an outdoor amphitheater, too.

In her remarks, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said the community was more than just a collection of tiny homes, and thanked the initial villagers for their contributions.

“Thanks again to the residents. Thank you [to] those who are here today, and to all the hundreds who are going to join in the months and years ahead,” Mendenhall said. “Thank you for lifting each other up, for believing in each other. Thank you for turning these cottages and this space into home, and thank you for proving to all of us that work like this is not only worth it, but it’s critical. I love you for being here.”