Tiny house village opens for homeless in Seattle New camp on Capitol Hill with 14 houses

Volunteer B.T. Eberhart walks through Central District's new tiny house village on Friday, Jan. 22, 2016. Volunteer B.T. Eberhart walks through Central District's new tiny house village on Friday, Jan. 22, 2016. Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: GRANT HINDSLEY, SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close Tiny house village opens for homeless in Seattle 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

In yet another effort to provide housing for the homeless, a new village of tiny houses opened Saturday on Capitol Hill.

The new village, at 2116 East Union St., is home to 14 tiny houses, and is an extension of the few tiny houses that have been set up at the latest Nickelsville camp in Ballard, and prior to that, at the camp on Dearborn Street.

This tiny house village is only the latest effort by the Low Income Housing Institute, in coordination with Nickelsville, the city and other groups, to provide respite to Seattle's growing homeless population.

During last year's One Night Count, more than 2,800 people were found to be living on the streets of Seattle, and 45 homeless died on the streets last year, according to the mayor's announcement of a state of emergency on homelessness in November.

"Despite our generosity, the magnitude of the problem is growing worse," Murray said in November last year. "All of us are struggling to understand, despite our efforts, why this crisis continues to grow."

A new authorized encampment opened in Ballard last year, on city property, and another is planned for a site in Sodo, while the mayor announced last week that "safe" parking lots would be set aside for homeless living in their cars starting as soon as 30 days away.

The new tiny house village will include electricity and on-site bathrooms and, eventually, showers, said Monica Joe, housing development associate with Low Income Housing Institute.

Joe said the houses will have room for up to a family of three, so the camp could house up to 42 people, though it's hard to say exactly how many might move in.

The village will have the same rules as other encampments, such as prohibiting drugs and alcohol, and will be run by the residents.

In a change from other homeless encampments, residents at this camp will have to pay a $90 fee for utilities each month, Joe said.

The camp will be prioritized for longtime residents of Nickelsville camps, with two tiny houses set aside for families, and case management services will be offered to help residents get into permanent housing, she added.

Daniel DeMay covers Seattle culture, business and transportation for seattlepi.com. He can be reached at 206-448-8362 or danieldemay@seattlepi.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Daniel_DeMay.