Excelsior Springs, Mo. – A board of volunteers, led by local citizen Kelly Anderson, is working to transform a piece of land into a gated community for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. If constructed, Eden Village of Excelsior Springs is expected to provide housing for 20 residents in ten duplexes that will be built using advanced 3D concrete printing technology, featuring a design that fosters a sense of intentional community.
Eden Village of Excelsior Springs, one of several organizations addressing local homelessness, is now in its fourth year since the board was established. They are awaiting a critical decision on private grant funding, and Anderson shared that approval would likely mean breaking ground for construction in 2026.
According to Anderson, the Eden Village of Excelsior Springs has a contract on an undisclosed parcel of appropriately zoned land within Excelsior Springs city limits. The location has not been made public as it remains contingent on grant funding.
The Eden Village model was created in Springfield, Missouri, and has expanded to multiple cities. Each location follows a consistent structure: no drug use allowed, monthly rent from residents, relies primarily on volunteer support, and offers permanent housing solutions for those who have experienced chronic homelessness and medical disability.
Anderson shared that the large-scale 3D printing machines that they plan to use here in Excelsior Springs were originally donor-purchased for the Springfield location. However, there appears to be an active lawsuit between the machine’s company, MudBots, and Eden Village due to “technical issues.” Anderson is confident that they will be able to use the machines for the Excelsior Springs development in 2026. She said she hopes the technology can reduce building times and costs, while also creating stronger, more efficient structures.
Excelsior Springs, with a population of about 11,500, would be the smallest community in the country to host one, and its development has come with some community concern and pushback.
Local Response to a Hidden Problem
Anderson, board president of Eden Village of Excelsior Springs, began her work in homelessness outreach through the ministry City Love. She became more involved after participating in Project Homeless Connect, an initiative aimed at matching unhoused individuals with service providers.
“The first six people I met were on the downtown steps. Four of them had been special education students I knew through my work in the schools,” Anderson said. “It just broke my heart. There are transition programs for those kids, but something failed along the way.”
Eden Village as an organization does not receive government funding. Each home may be sponsored by individuals or organizations, who are often invited to choose the homes’ exterior color, trim option, and even to name the homes. All Eden Village locations also charge rent to subsidize ongoing operational costs, which is expected to be around $425 per month, per Anderson.
The board plans to operate with one paid staff member. All other support will come from volunteers and existing community service providers.
Each resident will be paired with a volunteer “home team” of two to four individuals who commit to visiting monthly, often offering friendship, transportation, or help navigating services. Anderson said interest from churches and civic groups is already strong.
Anderson also hopes to integrate fully with local support services to bring medical care to residents in their community building.
“We’re building a place for medical services so that residents don’t have to run all over town for care,” she said. “We want to reduce missed appointments and increase the chance of long-term stability.”
Anderson and fellow Good Samaritan employee Sarah Noblet discovered Eden Village and toured the site three days later. “We both just looked at each other and said, this could work here,” she said.
After feeling inspired by the Springfield location, Anderson set out to begin developing Eden Village of Excelsior Springs. According to their website, the Excelsior board began forming in 2021 and received 501(c)(3) status in early 2022.
Planning the Structures
The Excelsior Springs plan includes ten duplexes, housing a total of 20 residents. Homes would be constructed using 3D-printed concrete walls, and this technology would be borrowed from the Springfield location. The homes would be arranged in a horseshoe shape around a green space, with a community building planned for gatherings and other services.
If built, Excelsior Springs would be the first Eden Village to use this duplex layout. “It’s about fitting the site and meeting zoning requirements,” Anderson said.
Anderson said the board hopes to begin infrastructure work in the Spring of 2026. “We’ve applied for a private grant and expect to hear back in December [2025] with awards made in January [2026]. If we receive it, we’ll be fully funded for construction.”
When asked about the project’s cost, Anderson said the estimated total is $1.8 million, the same amount awarded through the grant for Eden Village’s construction. She clarified that this figure only covers land acquisition and duplex construction. It does not include the cost of the community building or any ongoing staffing and support services.
Although she declined to disclose where the major grant funding was sourced, other Eden Village locations received similar large grants from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, facilitated by Central Trust Bank, through their Affordable Housing Program (AHP). To date, Eden Village of Springfield has received $2.5 million in grant funding from the AHP.
Anderson shared that the Excelsior Springs’ installment has raised approximately $55,000 through private donations. Any ongoing management costs or a rise in anticipated construction costs not covered by grant funding would be reliant on other private sources, like donations.
Learning from Other Sites
The nearest established Eden Village community is in Kansas City, Kansas. That location replaced a dilapidated trailer park and has been open for just over a year. The on-site manager, Jim Schmidt, helped start the project and now runs it entirely as a volunteer.
Schmidt said their Eden Village was funded through a combination of an $800,000 private grant and additional private donations. He described the surrounding neighborhood as initially skeptical but ultimately supportive.
“Most of our relationships with neighbors are positive,” Schmidt said. “We completely redeveloped the area.” He added, when addressing initial community pushback, “If it’s easy, you’re not making a big enough difference.”
A First for a Town This Size
Excelsior Springs would be the smallest city in the U.S. to have an operational Eden Village. According to the organization’s national website, the next smallest existing Eden Village is in Wilmington, North Carolina, which has a population of about 115,000. Some community members have raised concerns about ongoing funding and staffing challenges in a smaller community.
A previously planned Eden Village project in Mountain Home, Arkansas, a town of about 12,800, was conditionally approved for an $800,000 grant but ultimately failed to launch, and Eden Village representative Nate Schlueter explained that funding ultimately was given to another organization.
According to Mountain Home’s City Clerk, Scott Liles, the project seemed to falter after a highly contentious city board meeting. He explained that there was strong community opposition and difficulty securing properly zoned land. After this meeting, Liles explained that the project didn’t continue development after an apparent lack of community support.
The journey of Eden Village of Excelsior Springs has not been without some community and municipal pushback. A previous attempt at rezoning a vacant C3 commercial parcel was denied by the Planning and Zoning in April of 2024. This meeting was also attended by over 100 citizens, with many supporters and opponents of rezoning. This pushed the Eden Village board to look elsewhere for appropriately zoned land.
Understanding Local Need
In addition to funding and staffing concerns, city leaders have questioned whether Excelsior Springs has a large enough homeless population to justify a project of this scope.
Excelsior Springs Police Officer Ryan Dowdy, who has worked in the city for more than a decade, estimated that there are two to four individuals who live completely unsheltered, with an estimated additional 15 to 25 people “couch surfing” or moving between temporary housing arrangements.
Speaking of the proposed Eden Village, Dowdy shared, “I think it’s a great idea in theory, but I just haven’t seen proof that the need here is large enough for something like this.”
Anderson said rural homelessness often looks different than in urban areas, which may make it harder to measure or even see. “We don’t have visible encampments or shelters, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t sleeping in cars, sheds, or unheated buildings,” she said. “The Good Samaritan Center tries to keep a real-time count based on who’s seeking help.”
She added that housing even a small number of individuals can ease the burden on emergency services and nonprofits. “Once we house the most vulnerable, other organizations can focus on people who need short-term help instead of crisis response.”
Eden Village of Excelsior Springs is still in the early stages. The board has a property under contract and a plan for construction, but funding remains undecided. A grant decision expected in early 2026 will determine whether the project moves forward.
If built, the development would bring permanent housing to 20 people and mark the smallest city in the country to implement the Eden Village model. For supporters, it’s a chance to address a quiet but persistent need in the community. The coming year may show whether Excelsior Springs is ready to take that step.
**Editor’s Note:** An update was made to this article on July 14 at 2:34 PM to clarify the amount of grant funding and its intended use. Additionally, a minor correction was made to specify that the 3D printing technology pertains to concrete.
If you appreciate the value our local journalism brings to the community, please consider making a recurring contribution to the Excelsior Citizen!
