Welcome (tiny) Home!
On Saturday November 11th, the Nickelsville Tiny House and Tent Encampment in Ballard began operations with a “Welcome Home” volunteer work party sponsored by Ballard neighbors. The land at 2826 NW Market Street is owned by the City of Seattle. Thank you, Mayor Murray!
The 5 tiny houses in Ballard were built by the Sallal Grange, the Tulalip Tribes TERO Training Program and YouthBuild out of the South Seattle College Georgetown campus. LIHI, Seattle Jaycees, Sustainable Ballard, Home Depot, Lucky 7 Foundation, and many others paid for the materials.
Similar houses built by other groups will soon be moving to 22nd and Union on land owned by the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, making Seattle’s first Tiny House Village!
The Tiny House Village will have 15 tiny homes on the site and will contain a security hut, kitchen tent, donation hut, two toilets and a shower pavilion. Each of the homes is 8 feet by 12 feet, providing enough space for 1-2 people. All houses are insulated and have electricity.
This is an exciting project that has been successful due to LIHI’s partnership with Nickelsville and the Lutheran Church. Nickelsville will be selecting the residents who will be moving into the houses and managing the village community. LIHI will be providing case management for the tiny house residents and help them transition into permanent housing. The Lutheran Church has graciously provided their land for the Tiny House Village for a year with the option to renew for another year.
Right now many groups are working away to finish constructing their tiny homes in time for Christmas! We hope to be able to move the houses to 22nd and Union and get everyone housed by the holidays. We are so fortunate to have received thousands of dollars in donations from Vulcan’s South Lake Union Block Party, the Raise the Paddle event at our Annual Auction and Gala, and through donations. The materials for a tiny house only cost $2,200! If you would like to donate to support the Tiny House Village, click here.
Stay tuned for details on the opening of the Tiny House Village, as we will be hosting a housewarming event in early 2016. We hope that this Village will serve as a model for other cities and neighborhoods that would like to pursue tiny houses as part of the fight to end homelessness.
Please also see this wonderful photo essay in the Stranger.
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| (L to R) Jean Darsie, Steve Friberg, Jody Grage, Sharon Lee, Monica Joe, and Melinda Nichols in front of tiny house built by Tulalip Tribes Tero program |