The Low Income Housing Institute has announced that they plan to place tiny houses at the proposed transitional homeless encampment site at 2826 NW Market Street.

LIHI reported that they would place up to six houses along the frontage area of the encampment.

Although the planned location has still has not been finalized, LIHI is already working with volunteers to construct the houses. Volunteers from Tulalip Tribe’s construction apprenticeship program, TERO, built two houses for LIHI. The doors of the houses are decorated with Tulalip Tribal art.

“Things are in flux right now, and we are hoping that the Ballard site works out. If so, it would be very easy to move the house,” said LIHI Board President, Melinda Nichols. Nichols added that the houses would be moved on flatbed trucks.

The houses are eight feet by 12 feet. They are insulated and are constructed with a window, locking door, light and ventilation fan. Some may even have a heat lamp. According to LIHI the houses cost approximately $1800 to build (volunteer labor) and another $300 to move.

Volunteers from Tulalip Tribe’s construction apprenticeship program, TERO, in front of one of the tiny houses they constructed. Photos by Steve Rowland.

“It’s another rung in the ladder. This is not the end all. There still is no plumbing or kitchen, but compared to where these people were living before, this is an exciting option. …They are certainly more comfortable for folks.”

Sharon Lee, Executive Director of LIHI, said she hopes that the Ballard site – wherever it will be – will have functioning electrical infrastructure for the homes.

In addition to providing the houses, LIHI is also set to provide case management services to residents at the Ballard site once an encampment is constructed.

Seattle City Light has already finished the environmental remediation at the proposed site, which consisted of removing 400 cubic feet of contaminated soil.

However, Lee is concern that with fall coming, construction of an encampment is not happening fast enough. Community members slowed the City’s plan for construction after the announcement in July; Neighbors and businesses owners asked the City for public meetings to reconsider the encampment location. Despite time for public meetings and comment, the preparation (remediation) of the site started before the first – and so far only – meeting, which occurred August 12.

Finished remediation work at the site. Photo Shane Harms.

“Winter is coming, and it’s terrible to have more people unsheltered on the streets, and it’s reasonable to expect that Ballard like any other neighborhood should be part of the solution. … There are a lot of unfounded fears and paranoia from the businesses and other people.”

According to King County Medical Examiners and Health Care for the Homeless 42 people have died outside or from violence this year.

To rally support for LIHI, Sustainable Ballard has already started a donation campaign to fund construction for tiny houses at the Ballard site.

“It’s very touching. I find if you give people a hard and concrete goal to do like building tiny houses, they want to help other people and the homeless,” Nichols.

Lee said that if they have the funding, LIHI would be willing to orchestrate the construction of more houses to fill the entire encampment.

Other support for the encampment location is unfolding online; a petition was started in favor of the encampment location, and over 1800 individuals have signed it.

Alternatively, the petition that opposes the encampment location on NW Market Street by an ad-hoc neighborhood group, Speak Up Ballard, is currently standing just shy of 1600 supporters.