Seattle doubling tiny home villages

It’s going to be a busy summer at The Hope Factory, an 8,000-square-foot warehouse in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood, where about a dozen volunteers come six days a week to build at least 10 shed-sized houses a month for homeless people.

“All of our weekends are booked out through Labor Day except two Saturdays,” said Barb Oliver, operations manager and volunteer coordinator at Sound Foundations NW.

Sound Foundations and other construction companies are producing 100 tiny houses this summer, which are expected to accommodate up to 130 people. The homes will be in two locations in North Seattle, potentially doubling the size of an Interbay village. The Port of Seattle owns the Interbay property and needs to approve the expansion.

Seattle has included these villages in its record $ 167 million budget for homelessness. The materials for each house typically cost around $ 2,500, although they currently cost $ 4,500 due to a national wood shortage, according to Josh Castle, director of advocacy and community engagement for the Low-Income Housing Institute, the city’s prime contractor for village operations. It costs an average of $ 600,000 a year to run each village with case management and food, Castle said.

The city is benefiting from an infusion of federal funds to alleviate growing frustration among community members and business owners over apparent homelessness. While accommodations that keep many people together in one room have been seen as the most cost-effective option, data from nonprofits has shown that people who live outdoors typically prefer to go to a tiny house rather than an emergency shelter.