About Hope Village

Who We Are – What we do – How we started

Hope Village – Tiny House Alternatives, Inc. is a non-profit 501c3 that was founded in January 2016 in the Chippewa Falls, WI area.

A Dream In 2015

It actually started in 2015 when Mike Cohoon identified a need for emergency housing in Chippewa Falls. None was currently available. His idea was to build Tiny Houses to provide free transitional housing for people that are experiencing homelessness due to unexpected events in their lives and help them get back on their feet. It was definitely going to be an uphill battle … starting with just a desire to make a difference, little experience in running such a program and ZERO funds. But, that didn’t stop Mike.

Another Problem – No Land

Another problem … there was no land to place Tiny Houses. So, an appeal was made to the local churches to provide space for one or two Tiny Houses. Five local churches stepped up and offered to place Tiny Houses next to their church. However, each time a church offered to host a Tiny House, our Hope Village Team had to go before the City Council for approval both from the Council and the neighbors living near each host church.

All Hope Village Guests Are Vetted For Everyone’s Safety

Hope Village Guests Are Then Offered – Sheltering – Mentoring – Educating

At each meeting it was emphasized that all Tiny House guests would be thoroughly vetted through a local social service person, a detective with the local police department and through a national background data base, to assure there would be no criminal element.

It was also noted at those meetings, that in addition to transitional housing, each Tiny House Guest would be provided with two Mentors to help them on their journey back to independent living.

The idea was met with a positive response from both the City Council and the neighbors living next to each Host Church.

Shortly after that, the word went out to the community and local churches. Soon, numerous volunteers came forward and assorted building materials were donated to build our first few Tiny Houses. Each Tiny House has a sleeping area, kitchenette with microwave, mini-fridge and a private bathroom area with portable RV-type toilet. Our Tiny Houses come in various sizes to accommodate up to a family of six.

Navigators and Mentors Provide Direction For Hope Village/Tiny House Guests

Today, Hope Village still follows that process of vetting each Tiny House guest to assure a safe environment for all. Mentors keep in contact daily via phone calls/texts and meet once a week with the guest(s) and our Hope Village Navigator to discuss their progress on their Secure Living Goals.

Goals include progress toward health care, financial security, stable housing, transportation, food resources and steady employment. As long as progress is made toward those goals each week, guests can remain at Hope Village. Both the Mentors and Navigator provide guidance to achieve those goals.

Hope Village Continues To Grow

Hope Village had a Capital Campaign in 2021. The Chippewa Community stepped up and were able to raise $2,862,550.

With that money, as well as various grants, land was purchased on the northeast side of Chippewa, as well as purchasing a building on a neighboring property that has been converted into a Community Center for our Tiny House Guests. It comes complete with kitchen, showers, laundry area, a lower level for storage and storm safety, lounging area, along with offices and meeting areas. Ten Tiny Houses are now located on our Hope Village property at 1825 Kennedy Rd. in Chippewa Falls, WI … one Tiny House is still located at Chippewa Valley Bible Church.

Next Step – Affordable/Workforce Housing

Recently affordable/workforce housing was constructed at Hope Village with One Six-Plex and Two Duplexes currently available for rent, with Two More Six-Plexes and Two More Duplexes to be completed in 2026. A number of our Tiny House guests have the opportunity to transition into our affordable housing, as well as making it available to others in need of affordable housing in our community.

In 2025 Hope Village purchased the Indianhead Motel located at 501 Summit Ave. in Chippewa Falls, and are renovating its 27 units into more affordable housing mainly aimed at elderly singles and couples (age 70+). Hope Village has also established at Resale Shop at the Indianhead Motel location to help supplement Hope Village’s income, in addition to our numerous fundraising efforts including a Golf Scramble, Quarter Auction, Clothing Drive, etc.

We’re Making A Difference One Tiny House Guest At A Time

In our first nine years of operation, Hope Village saved the community more than $1,398,720 by providing 17,484 nights of shelter, avoiding the use of motel vouchers at $80 per night. To date, Hope Village has served 164 families (approximately 310 individuals).

Average length of stay for our Tiny House Guests is currently 170 days, thanks to the efforts of our new Housing Search Team.

A lot of lives have been touched by Hope Village/Tiny Houses and this experience has turned their homelessness into independent living and a fresh start.

With the help of the numerous Hope Village volunteers, our dedicated Board of Directors and a caring community, we hope and pray Hope Village can continue to make a difference for many years to come. Thank You!

Here is a story from one of our Hope Village/Tiny House Guests …

Sara – Sara had a string of unfortunate events happen to her that brought her to a Hope Village tiny house. Sara lost a teenage daughter to cancer during the winter of 2015 and in 2016 her significant other had health conditions that kept him from working. On top of those two things her vehicle just wore out from the many trips to medical clinics.

Sara was able to find a job while in a Hope Village tiny house, pay off some past bills, and a car was donated to her by a concerned Hope Village volunteer from Our Saviors Lutheran Church. Sara was an experienced Nurse’s Aide and has moved in with a person that needs a personal aide to help her with her daily living as she recovers from an illness. Sara has also taken on a part time job driving taxi.