I run a tiny-home community in Texas for women fleeing toxic relationships

• Robyn Yerian purchased her first tiny home in 2017.
• Needing a way to support herself financially, she opened her own tiny-home village in 2019.
• Bird's Nest is a women-only village where residents share common areas and take care of one another.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Robyn Yerian, 68, about their decision to create a women-only tiny home village in Cumby, Texas called The Bird's Nest. The community is home to 5, soon to be 6, women who live there permanently. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

After 10 years of marriage, my partner and I got a divorce in 1993. I had no job, just two suitcases and was supporting two children under the age of 10. I spent the following years working upwards of three jobs just to make ends meet. 

Years after the divorce, I purchased my own home for $75,000. In 2010, I sold the property and earned about $20,000. At the time, I decided that I didn't want to live in a big house again, and would instead rent. 

However, in 2016, I saw an episode of the television show "Tiny House Nation" and I was inspired — I wanted a tiny house of my own.

That year, I flew to Colorado Springs to attend my first tiny-home jamboree. At the gathering, I met a female builder that agreed to help me construct my own tiny home, a two-bedroom unit that cost $57,000.

When construction was completed, I had to find somewhere to park the home legally. After a few let downs, I heard about a gentleman from Decatur, Texas, who was building a tiny-home village and charging people $450 to rent land. 

In 2017, I moved onto his property. I was the very first tiny-houser. 

I was inspired to create my own tiny-home village

Within a year, all seven of the village's lots were full and I grew to really love the community.

However, around 2019, I began thinking more about my future and financial health. I knew that I would not be able to support myself through retirement solely on the funds made available from my 401(k) and social security. 

I started reading articles on how to make passive income in retirement. During this time, a friend of mine that worked in finance encouraged me to purchase land that I could someday rent out. 

After a lot of searching, I bought five acres in Cumby, Texas, for $35,000. To afford the purchase, I withdrew money from my 401(k).

The land initially had no water and electricity. It also needed to be excavated and required a new septic system. I spent $100,000 developing the property. Once updates were completed, I moved my tiny home from Decatur to Cumby in 2022.

That's when I developed the concept for The Bird's Nest, a women-only, tiny-home village.

I created The Bird's Nest to support women that are in need 

The Bird's Nest operates similarly to an RV park. Tenants bring their own tiny homes and park it in one of my 14 lots.

Four of the lots are currently occupied, while a few of the others have buildings on them that are being used as a party pad, work space, and a community center.

At first, I wanted the community to be only for senior women, those over the age of 55 that did not have any children. But I started getting calls from women of all ages that were interested in the village. 

A lot of the time they were women who were escaping abusive situations or those who were recently divorced that needed an affordable place to live. 

I thought to myself, if I can help these women, why not?

I want the village to be an affordable housing option 

Rent at The Bird's Nest is only $450 a month. I tell every person that comes here that I'm never going to raise the rent and I mean it. I've even offered reduced prices to a couple of women that were in bad financial situations. 

I believe that's how you build a community — showing others they can count on you and you on them.

Later this month, one of my tenants is having her knee replaced. All of the women at The Bird's Nest have agreed to take care of her as she recovers.

The Bird's Nest focuses on empowering women

In June, The Bird's Nest hosted its first-ever builder workshop.

I wanted to create a space where women could try new things without being told they were doing it wrong. For me that's what The Bird's Nest has always been about: women empowering women. 

Before the event, I was worried that nobody was going to come. The opposite happened. I was totally shocked to see so many women attend, each for a different reason.

We taught guests how to properly use power tools and table saws. The workshop even focused on training the women to build wall panels and staircases, as well as the process of installing new water lines, septic tanks, and electricity. 

To me, The Bird's Nest is more than a tiny-home village: It is a place where women can feel safe, valued and have the courage to try new things. It's also a place where people count on one another and build financial security.