Safe To Be was established with the vision of addressing the critical housing and support needs of transgender individuals, who are among the most marginalized within the Romantic & Gender Diverse community. Transgender people frequently face discrimination in housing, employment, healthcare, and often face challenges accessing safe restroom facilities. In 2018, Safe To Be was founded with the mission of creating a supportive and affirming environment for transgender individuals. By 2019, the organization had identified an ideal location for a tiny home community designed to provide long-term housing solutions. In 2020, we began developing this property, and later that year, we partnered with a local affirming business to offer emergency and transitional housing, further expanding our ability to provide critical support to those in need.

In 2024, Safe To Be entered a significant partnership with ECHO Village, a local nonprofit in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. ECHO Village, a Christian organization, operates a tiny home community that supports low-income individuals, veterans, first-time jail offenders, and those striving to break the cycle of poverty. The village fosters communal living, offering shared amenities such as a chicken coop, greenhouse, and tool shed. In the summer of 2024, Safe To Be finished the build of its first tiny home on the ECHO Village property and now co-manages the resident alongside ECHO’s board. We continue to offer emergency and transitional housing through our partnership with a motel while progressing toward the construction of additional homes to provide long-term, permanent housing solutions.