Berkeley High School’s Housing Hands club is a newly formed club of students who have been building and supporting a tiny house village development in Richmond. The development is known as Richmond Tiny House Village, Farm, and Garden, which has a goal to double emergency housing units for unhoused 18-24 year olds in Richmond.
The homeless population in the Bay Area was an estimated 38,891 in 2024, according to federal data, which was an increase by six percent since 2022. The development’s mantra is that rising numbers of unhoused people require action, and this initiative aims to attack it head on. The development is a seven-agency collaboration, dedicated to engaging communities in development of emergency housing villages. On the Tiny Village Spirit website, their stated solution says, “Communities are given the tools to work towards systemic change needed to end the crisis of homelessness.” The project, which started in 2023, successfully built Oakland’s first legal tiny house village, which engaged over 4,000 volunteers. It now brings together collaborative efforts of volunteers, community members, and now, growing numbers of BHS students.
The BHS Housing Hands club was founded earier this year by Ryan Geis, a BHS junior who got involved with the Tiny Village Spirit program over the summer. “I started the club because I really wanted to help out the community. I thought with the help of people from BHS, we could make a difference. I was already doing the volunteering, so I thought I (should) try and take a leadership position in that area,” Geis said. Every Saturday, members from the club join Geis at the tiny house village site, where they participate in hands-on tasks. “I really like the community, people are really nice (on site), and everyone’s coming together for a good cause. I’ve learned a lot about teamwork and working with others,” BHS junior Venice Johnston said.
“I like the physical aspect of it, because you can see how (the houses) are coming along, and what your work is actually going towards,” Geis said. The project currently has a move-in target date of July 2025, which gives a clear timeline that drives efforts over the weekend. Volunteers are actively working on the homes every weekend, constructing porches, painting chairs, tables, and benches, and have started on a deck.
Volunteering also offers opportunities for students to learn new life skills. For some students, this opportunity has also become a way to gain other skills. “I decided to join because I wanted to learn new skills in construction, and also help people out who may need it in our community,” Aavi Newton, a BHS junior and vice president of the club, said. The project provides mentoring and teaching from experienced on-site volunteers, so students can learn hands-on carpentry, painting, and landscaping skills. Another big part of the project is the beautiful artwork encased on the fences, walls, and gates. “Harnessing art and creativity is fundamental to our efforts,” reads the Tiny Village Spirit website.
Halfway through the day, the volunteers eat at the soup kitchen across the street. This experience can both help students understand the significance of the work they are doing, and put the Bay Area’s housing crisis in perspective. The issue isn’t something that Berkeley residents aren’t aware of — homelessness is ever prevalent in various local communities. “You can sort of see the community that you’re helping (when we go),” Geis said.
As the club continues to progress, Geis and Newton are planning on having fundraisers so they are able to expand the club’s impact. Their next initiative will be organizing bake sales in order to have the funds to give away winter clothing, such as blankets and jackets for unhoused people in Berkeley and Richmond. The club is a prime example of the impact youth-driven activism can have on a community. And as the tiny house village approaches their move-in date, the contributions of the Housing Hands club can be seen making a true effect on helping decrease the numbers of unhoused youth on the streets in the Bay Area, by changing someone’s life with a tiny house.