20 Under 40: Andrew Heben

Co-founder/Project Director, SquareOne Villages

Age: 32

Working with SquareOne Villages has allowed me to lead our transitional and affordable tiny home communities from concept through implementation. It has been a truly formative experience to help build this nonprofit organization from the ground up. What started as a group of volunteers with a shared vision has since evolved into a leading force for advancing new ideas on how we as a community can more effectively respond to issues of homelessness and housing affordability.

I’m continually inspired by the diverse range of people I come into contact with during my day-to-day work with SquareOne, whether it’s the people in our community that show up and lend a hand to help build a house or the people that move into the housing and make it a home. And then there’s the people in other communities that are inspired by our work that then set out to build their own villages. They adapt and improve, and in turn re-inspire my own work. Thus, I am a strong believer in collaboration and that we can achieve much greater things when working collectively.