The city of Seattle is no stranger to the search for innovative solutions to care for its homeless residents. A new planned project in partnership with Sound Transit will offer resources to those in need through a temporary tiny home village in the U-District.
The project has been underway for several months, joining two other tiny home projects within the city. Located at 45th Street and Roosevelt Avenue, the latest project — called Rosie’s Tiny House Village — is larger than the other tiny home hubs and thus needed legislative approval before moving forward. As of August 2021, Sound Transit has approved the tiny home village, which will be owned by the city and managed by the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI).
Rosie’s Tiny House Village will do more than give its residents a roof over their heads. The village offers shared kitchen and bathroom facilities, hot meals delivered daily, 24-hour on-site staff as well as case management, housing search support, employment and health resources. The village is expected to house up to 65 people in its 36 furnished units.
With its recent approval, it is expected that the new tiny home village could be open to residents by fall 2021.
While the village will provide much-needed shelter and security for residents, it is not a permanent solution for those who will call it home. The village will be built on a former construction site owned by Sound Transit, and will be leased at no cost to the city for at least one year, with an option to extend the lease for up to three years. At the end of the lease, the site will be converted into a permanent transit-oriented development (TOD) devoted to addressing the long-term needs of the local community.
In addition to Rosie’s Tiny House Village, Seattle also offers low-income housing through its existing Interbay Tiny House Village and another upcoming project in North Seattle called Friendship Heights Tiny House Village. In conjunction with the two new projects, Interbay Tiny House Village will be expanding and adding new units to further meet the needs of the community.
This article was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com.
