Salt + Light Village

Dignified Living

Salt + Light’s Call for Community

Story by Rachel Trigueiro | Photos by Lifestyle Staff

“Housing will never solve homelessness, but community will,” says Adrianne Hillman, founder and CEO of Salt + Light.

Adrianne’s voice trembles when sharing about Gabriel, a man she recently met on the food truck. “He was a really sweet guy, only 42. He came from Mexico to pick grapes with his brother, but his brother died and they lost their home. I asked how long ago; he said six years.” Adrianne’s approach to the less fortunate is radical, and her response to Gabriel is a living testimony.

“I know I can’t give you a home yet, we’re working as fast as we can. But if I could give you anything for Christmas, what would it be?” she asked him.

Gabriel’s reply: “A family.”

Adrianne weeps as she recalls the story. “They don’t have a family to hold them up, and that’s our job.” Christmas morning, Adrianne, along with her husband and three boys, rallied together bringing Gabriel a warm home-cooked breakfast, hand warmers, and chocolates (her sons’ request).

As her sons gathered around him in a hug, she said, “I know you asked for a family for Christmas, so here are my boys. They love you and we love you.” Everyone there was moved to tears.

Balancing the compassion and heartbreak with real boots on the ground is difficult; the needs are real and never-ending. People are hungry, but work must also be done in order to keep moving forward to change the story of homelessness through creating homes.

Adrianne Hillman, founder and CEO of Salt + Light.

Salt + Light began with a huge vision in 2019, prior to Covid. The originally-planned 51 acres with 200 homes shifted to 6 acres and 52 homes. That still means 52 lives off the street, being touched and changed.

Their mission to cultivate community through dignified homes, jobs, and healing hinges on the culture that’s created within The Neighborhood Village. Adrianne says the process is complex and takes a lot of time. It’s not just about building small homes.

One of the guiding principles of Salt + Light is dignity. “Providing choices for people, whether it’s living spaces, jobs, or food, is how you empower and return them to themselves. Telling people what to do creates behavioral change that might last, but it doesn’t empower,” she says. The goal of building small homes is not to remove people from the streets. It’s to provide a community for those who have lost it, so they can settle, rest, and rediscover themselves.

“Many times, I’ve questioned this call, but it’s been so cool watching God work; it’s nothing short of a miracle. He’s woven people together inside and outside our community. There’s no reason we should still be breaking ground in March 2022, but we are on track.”

One of those answered prayers is Self-Help Enterprises, a local nonprofit developer that’s built affordable housing in the Valley for years. They joined forces with Salt + Light, bringing knowledge and understanding to the monumental task. “They came with this little slice of land, saying they’d love to partner with our innovative project. Self-Help Enterprises truly was the rising tide that lifted this ship,” Adrianne says. In addition, the small houses will be manufactured out of Lindsay, providing more local jobs and connection within the community.

2021 was not an easy year to have a nonprofit and raise money. Needs on the streets also became greater after Covid, especially access to food. Adrianne has previous experience feeding the homeless community, but was initially laser-focused on building homes. However, after Covid hit, she saw the immediate need for food and pivoted to address it. She found a rusted-out truck in Oregon, fixed it up, and got on the road in February 2021.

Map of housing

Although the food truck wasn’t part of the initial vision, she says it will probably always continue. “What I love about the food truck is we’re breaking down barriers and rehumanizing people….It’s bringing people face-to-face with those facing homelessness.”

Salt + Light serves 600 meals a week from the food truck. Locally-owned restaurant, Fugazzis, generously donates 100 hot meals a day, three days a week, and volunteers make and give out an additional 100 sack lunches to be eaten later. Adrianne has learned that the greatest need for food in the homeless community hits mid-week. Finding volunteers Tuesday-Thursday nights for meal distribution may prove harder than the weekend, but she is committed to filling the gap for those hungry and without homes.

100% of hot meals are donated by Fugazzis for Salt+ Light’s food truck program.

While one side of the truck contains food, the other side stands as a mini-store. Hygiene kits, sanitizer, hand warmers, masks, underwear and the most requested item: socks—all free for the taking. Salt + Light accepts cash donations, but not used items. Adrianne says, “God gives us his first fruits, we don’t get the trash. None of us want to wear used socks and underwear, right?” In that spirit, the organization provides new clothes, new socks, and new underwear, as a reminder to those facing homelessness that they have worth, and they too deserve to be treated with dignity.

Another communal aspect built into The Neighborhood Village is missional residents, made up of people from the community answering the unique call to live in the village. “They are the glue of the village,” Adrianne says. The missional residents will stand as liaison between law enforcement and the community, keeping a pulse on the neighbors and becoming their friends. The village offers residents permanent housing. “Expecting people who are extraordinarily traumatized to heal in X amount of days, while in transitional housing is irrational. Home is a place of permanence.” Offering residents a lasting community unlocks the door to healing and freedom.

A photo rendering of the housing units Salt + Light is planning to build.

“Housing will never solve homelessness, but community will.”

- Alan Graham, founder of Community First Village in Austin, TX. Adopted by Adrianne Hillman.

Purposeful work is another powerful tool towards healing. In addition to housing, micro-enterprise jobs are available for all residents. Maintenance jobs onsite, culinary duties, gardening, artisan goods, and a coffee shop are a few ways for residents to contribute and find purpose.

Salt + Light is always looking for more volunteers to prep food, fold socks, or serve with the food truck. Adrianne laughs and says she always envisioned a “call” in life to be something one felt naturally excited about. In her experience, the telltale sign of being called to this movement was an initial feeling of unwillingness and inability. However, her mantra, “God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called,” is one she visibly lives by and inspires others to live by as well.