Seattle, WA thinks they have solved the problem of housing very low-income people. Maybe they have but how many garden sheds does it take to solve it? Apparently, it will take many more tiny shed communities with city funded land, kitchens, and bathroom facilities.
It’s going to be a busy summer at “The Hope Factory,” an 8,000-square-foot warehouse in Sodo, where around a dozen volunteers will come in six days a week to build at least 10 shed-sized homes a month for homeless people.
“All of our weekends are booked, except two Saturdays, through Labor Day,” said Barb Oliver, director of operations and volunteer coordinator at Sound Foundations NW.
Viking Carrier
Mariotti Building Products
PFS Corporation
Sound Foundations and other builders are producing 100 tiny houses, expected to hold up to 130 people, this summer. The houses will sit on two sites in North Seattle and potentially double the size of a village in Interbay. The Port of Seattle owns the Interbay property and has to approve the expansion.
Seattle included these villages as part of its record $167 million 2021 homelessness budget. The materials for each house normally cost around $2,500, although they’re $4,500 right now because of a national lumber shortage, according to Josh Castle, advocacy and community engagement director for the Low-Income Housing Institute, the city’s main contractor for village operations. It costs an average of $600,000 a year to run each village, with case management and food, Castle said.
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Gary Fleisher is the Managing Director and contributor to the Modcoach Network and its affiliated blogs.
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