Seattle opens its first tiny house village for the homeless in North Seattle in just a few days, and construction was in high gear through the weekend.
The homeless village is located on Aurora Avenue North at N 87th Street.
Despite some resistance from some in the community, the group behind the encampment hopes to change minds as they change lives. The Low Housing Institute operates the village and says they tiny homes are meant to be temporary.
“They're 120 square feet or less” Josh Castle explained.
The 12-foot by eight-foot homes have locking doors and windows, heat, insulation, and an outlet. What they might lack in space, organizers say, they make up for with endless potential.
All of the small structures were donated and the labor to put them up is the work of volunteers like Tim Brincefield.
“It's a big step up from tent cities, one piece of the puzzle in solving this huge problem, so I think it's a good thing,” he said.
Volunteers spent some of their time on special touches and thoughtful details to make the homes special. The Low Income Housing Institute has done it elsewhere and says the numbers show its works.
“Through these villages, we've been able to transition 161 people into housing, 106 gained employment working with case managers, and 34 have been reunited with family or friends," Castle said.
The tiny house village will officially open on April 5 and is expected to quickly fill with those hoping even a small space can bring big transformation.
