Interbay Tiny House Village adds 30 new units and a hygiene station

The Interbay Tiny House Village has expanded to include 30 new units and a hygiene station at 1601 15th Ave W.

The additional units brings the total number of tiny houses to 76 on the village property, with the new hygiene station capable of serving an additional 35 people.

The Seattle Human Services Department (HSD), City of Seattle, Port of Seattle, and the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) partnered for the project, which now serves 90 people total. Along with the new units and hygiene station, the village includes 24/7 staffing, on-site case managers, behavioral health services, security, a community kitchen, and laundry.

The Interbay village is the second of three tiny house village projects approved as part of the 2021 budget, providing an increase of 113 new village shelter units across the city. Other tiny home sites include Rosie’s Tiny House Village in the University District providing 36 new tiny houses that can serve up to 50 people experiencing homelessness, and the new Friendship Heights Tiny House Village in North Seattle which will open 47 units by the end of November.

“LIHI is pleased to be able to provide an additional 35 individuals and couples safe, heated, welcoming tiny houses at our Interbay Village,” Sharon Lee, Executive Director of LIHI, said in a statement. “It took the hard work of many people at the Port, HSD, FAS and LIHI working together to make today possible. With this expansion, Interbay Village can serve as a bridge to permanent housing for some 90 individuals and couples.”

The Interbay village has been in operation since 2017, when the City of Seattle leased the site from the Port of Seattle. Since its opening, the village has served more than 246 households/people, with about 35 percent of those going into permanent housing.

“This year, we’ve opened hundreds of safer 24/7 shelter spaces including hotels and tiny homes to move people off the streets and into safer places. In the coming months, we will continue addressing the scale of the crisis through long-term investments that will bring online hundreds of permanent homes and more 24/7 shelter spaces,” Mayor Jenny A. Durkan said in a statement.

“There is more work to be done, but these life-saving investments will bring hundreds of households inside to safer spaces this winter while providing an essential pathway to housing.”

HSD’s HOPE Team is responsible for making referrals into the village, based on shelter recommendations from their outreach provider partners. Interbay’s Community Advisory Committee (CAC)—whose members are neighbors, businesses, community and faith groups, and services—meet monthly to provide community input on operations and concerns.

The City’s HSD will continue to maintain oversight of the project until the end of 2021, and will hand over management to the newly created King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA). The KCRHA will be responsible for administering the homelessness budget and contracts, including the city’s nine tiny house villages.

Photo: LIHI