Denver's oldest tiny-home village has closed, raising questions about the future of a housing model that supporters say helps people move off the streets and into permanent homes.Stanley Greenemeier went from sleeping on Denver' s streets to having his own front door."I was homeless for a long time. My dog and I were," Greenemeier said.He credits a tiny-home micro-community with transforming his life."These to me, in my opinion, are the answer," Greenemeier said. But Denver's longest-running tiny home community, Monroe Village, has closed.It was located at E. 40th Avenue and Monroe Street.The 50-person village was founded in 2017, offering residents their own tiny home of 75 to 100 square feet, on-site meals and supportive services. Colorado Village Collaborative operated the site. "So if you come on init is quite literally a tiny home," said Elizabeth Szewczyk, senior director of operations at Colorado Village Collaborative. "We have a bed, with a mattress we provide everyone."Colorado Village Collaborative CEO Jessica Ehinger cited multiple reasons for the shutdown."It was really a combination of the budget challenges for the city and the permitting for the micro communities," Ehinger said.Denver Mayor Mike Johnston told Denver7 Tuesday the closure is part of a deliberate plan. Watch Claire Lavezzorio's report in the video below: Closure of Denver's oldest tiny-home village sparks concerns about future of model"Yeah, it actually wasn't for funding cuts," Johnston said. "It was a planned strategy to close that."The closure is raising concerns about Denver's commitment to the tiny home model."It's definitely a concern of ours," said Ehinger. "A site of 49 tiny homes is easy to look at on a list of sites and say, 'Oh well, if we cut that one, it's not really a big deal.'"Residents moved out of Monroe Village at the end of June. Ehinger says no one has returned to the streets.Colorado Village Collaborative is now searching for a new location to continue their work, hoping to demonstrate that tiny home communities remain part of the solution to homelessness.The homes themselves will be moved to storage until they're needed again."I hope what we've demonstrated is really to the community of Denver at large that this is not a scary idea," Ehinger said.For Greenemeier, the model's impact is personal."I got my forever home," Greenemeier said. ...read more read less