Adrianne Hillman, a Fresno State alumna, grew tired of watching homelessness go unsolved in California's Central Valley. So she did something extraordinary — she built an entire gated community designed to give unhoused families stable, dignified housing with wraparound support services. And it's working.

"In My Backyard"

Located in Goshen, a small town south of Fresno near the Highway 198 interchange, Salt + Light looks like many new developments at first glance: wide streets, a small park, and a large community centre. The main difference is that the homes are single-wide one- or two-bedroom modular units — and that the nearly 80 people who live in 53 units were all previously unhoused.

Hillman launched the vision in October 2019 with an "In My Backyard" party — a deliberate spin on the "not in my backyard" objections that so often kill homelessness initiatives. "I literally had it in my backyard. I had 475 people there and launched this vision. No money, no volunteers, no employees, just a dream," she said.

Overcoming Everything

The timing could not have been worse. A week after the launch party, Hillman's father suffered a heart attack during a routine procedure and needed emergency open-heart surgery. Both grandparents were hospitalised simultaneously. Days later, her grandmother passed away.

Then came COVID-19 in March 2020, shutting down traditional fundraising. But Hillman used the lockdown to build Salt + Light's infrastructure — employee handbooks, policies, procedures — laying the groundwork for what was to come.

A "Forged Family" Model

What sets Salt + Light apart from other housing programmes is its relational approach. Rather than simply providing a roof and moving on, the organisation is built on six foundational pillars:

• Mental health services
• Physical health support
• Job skills training
• Nutrition programmes
• Social engagement
• Drug and alcohol counselling

"I was shocked at what I was seeing with the way that the system was operating," Hillman explained. "We were doing a lot of transactional giving and doing, but it's not helping. What was missing was the relationship aspect."

The community centre, Unity Hall, serves as the hub for all support services. Residents learn life skills, find employment, and help each other thrive. It's designed to create genuine belonging — a "forged family" where people can rebuild their lives surrounded by people who care.

National Attention

The model is now attracting attention from across the United States as a genuinely replicable solution to one of America's hardest problems. With homelessness continuing to rise in many states, Salt + Light offers a blueprint that combines human dignity with practical support — proving that when someone says "in my backyard," extraordinary things can happen. 🏘️💛🙌

Source: Fresno State Today