Tiny houses are small 8ft by 12ft structures (96 sq ft), roughly the size of a small bedroom, that are built as temporary alternatives to living outside.  Tiny houses are not permanent housing and are not an alternative to building more permanent affordable housing.  Rather, they are private, locking, non-congregate, enhanced shelters that allow our homeless neighbors to live inside where it’s warm, safe, and dry and get support from case managers on their journey to stability. When clients move in, units are already equipped with a bed, bedding, storage, a trash can, curtains, a surge protector, a broom and dustpan, and a welcome kit with toiletries and towels. There are overhead lights, outlets for devices, a space heater, and an A/C unit.

Tiny House Villages include tiny house enhanced shelter units, staff offices, a kitchen tent, a community space, hygiene units, and a laundry room. Through establishing communal spaces, tiny house villages help program participants create community among themselves and stabilize and rebuild trust after the instability of being homeless. Villages are fully enclosed with a fence and a staff member monitors security cameras, entrances, and exits. No guests are allowed in the villages to ensure the safety and security of the program participants and staff.  There are ADA asphalt paths and ramps leading to the ADA deck, where our ADA units, shelter operations manager, case manager, and other supportive services offices are located. 24/7 staffing includes shelter operations manager, on-site case managers, and security staff. Clients agree to sign a Code of Conduct outlining standard safety requirements and expectations for being a good neighbor. Other operators of tiny house villages include Chief Seattle Club, PDA and Nickelsville.

Tiny houses are a quick, scalable, affordable, and desirable alternative to our neighbors living on the streets.  Non-congregate shelter options, like tiny houses and refurbished hotels & motels are a more desired form of shelter over traditional, group shelters. Tiny house villages offer a sense of stability, security, and privacy that traditional congregate shelters lack, especially for couples, families with children, people who work at night, and other folks whose needs do not match traditional congregate shelter models. Tiny houses are enhanced shelters where clients can have peace of mind sleeping and living in their own space. LIHI developed and scaled up the Tiny House Village model starting in 2015 when it became clear that something more needed to be done to match the needs of people experiencing homelessness, The model as it stands today is a direct reflection of our partnership with cities, counties, and other government agencies, the hard work and dedication of staff, and collaboration with outreach workers, service providers, neighbors, and housing providers. In 2025, our supportive services staff were able to move 55% of tiny house village participants into permanent housing with 98% of those folks retaining their housing after one year - one of the highest placement and retention rates in the country.

Check out our Instagram for a virtual tour of one of our Tiny House Villages!

We do not operate any villages with solely private donations, the funds for the setup and operation of villages come from city, county, state, and federal funds. The majority of our funding is awarded to us by counties and cities in competitive bid processes that include other service providers. In King County and Seattle, our primary funding source is the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, an agency that disperses public funds for the development and operation of shelters in the region.

LIHI operates 17 villages across Puget Sound with over 600 units. In 2025 we served 1,663 individuals. Chief Seattle Club and Nicklesville also operate tiny house villages. Pallet shelters are similar in setup, but are built with different materials. Below is our 2025 map of Tiny House Villages!

LIHI has developed a code of conduct that participants commit to when living in a Tiny House Village. The code of conduct includes required participation in case management services. Smoking is only permitted in designated areas, and alcohol, illegal drugs, and marijuana are prohibited in all public areas. In addition to working with participants to ensure accountability to the code of conduct, staff follow procedures for wellness checks to maintain health and safety. Participants retain autonomy over their behavior in private spaces. These guidelines set a basis of understanding for the community that lives at each village.

24/7 staffing includes shelter operations manager, on-site case managers, and security staff. LIHI also partners with Therapeutic Health Services (THS) and contracts with behavioral health specialists to offer services for mental health, substance use disorder, counseling, treatment and referrals to medication-assisted treatment. LIHI case managers collaborate with THS behavioral health professionals to service-match people based on their respective needs. Referrals are also made to other behavioral health providers and health care providers. LIHI also has nurses and doulas that visit program participants requiring specific medical and prenatal care. Through our partnerships, we implement evidence-based practices that prioritize services that meet our clients’ needs without judgement.

All LIHI tiny house villages have case managers. Our case managers are what transform our shelters into programs. Wraparound case management services support clients in securing IDs, social security cards, birth certificates, SNAP benefits, DSHS applications, VA benefits, other forms of income support, job development, education, language assistance, transportation, and housing navigation. LIHI partners with Therapeutic Health Services (THS) and contracts with behavioral health specialists to offer services for mental health, substance use disorder, counseling, treatment and referrals to medication-assisted treatment (MAT). LIHI case managers collaborate with THS behavioral health professionals to service-match people based on their respective needs. Referrals are also made to other behavioral health providers and health care providers. Through our partnerships, we implement evidence-based practices that prioritize services that meet our clients’ needs without judgement. While we want to have a THS behavioral specialist at every single shelter, this is dependent on the funds dispersed from city, county, and state for supportive services. We are set to start offering a mobile clinic this summer for MAT to all our sites in a partnership with THS!

Individuals who are registered as sex offenders are not allowed on the property. Weapons are strictly prohibited. If safety becomes a concern, law enforcement will be involved. All tiny house villages have 24/7 staffing so there is staff oversight at all times. Security cameras are placed throughout the site to monitor the interior and perimeter. Villages are surrounded by a privacy fence, and a security office is located at the main entrance. The LIHI compliance department inspects the entirety of each shelter, including kitchens, hygiene facilities, laundry, tiny houses, and all other areas quarterly. Each site has compliance criteria pertaining to fire, safety, security, and health. Compliance criteria abides by fire and health codes, with the fire department and health department conducting routine inspections for all our sites. Each tiny house includes a CO2/smoke detector, and fire extinguishers are located throughout the site. It is the compliance department’s mission to foster a safe and healthy environment for all program participants and staff. Any items out of compliance must be addressed within 48 hours with proof of remediation. In addition, to our compliance department, on site staff inspect the shelter units every 2 weeks.

Smoking is only permitted in designated areas, and alcohol, illegal drugs, and marijuana are prohibited in all public areas. In addition to working with participants to ensure accountability to the code of conduct, staff follow procedures for wellness checks to maintain health and safety. Participants retain autonomy over their behavior in private spaces.  While there is a need for sober environments, LIHI does not operate any sober or clean living shelters or affordable housing. In pursuing local, county, and state funds, there are stipulations to the barriers to entry. Our funding emphasizes the Housing First model and “low-barrier” meaning we meet program participants where they are at and cannot place expectations of sobriety. Case management can connect participants with recovery resources and support them on their recovery journey. Multiple LIHI tiny house village programs have been allocated funding in order to have behavioral health specialists from Therapeutic Health Services onsite. These clinicians provide services for mental health, substance use disorder, and counseling, and refer clients to outpatient addiction care such as medication-assisted treatment (MAT) when needed.

It is rare that a participant will get exited for one action or situation. LIHI does immediately exit program participants for egregious violations of the code of conduct such as use of weapons, hateful and threatening language, and physical harm to another participant or staff. The operations staff hold program participants accountable to the code of conduct through Notice of Violations and Stipulated Agreements. These are documents that acknowledge previous disregard of code of conduct violations and set expectations for growth and change moving forward. It can take multiple violations of the same code of conduct point for it to get to an exit.

The initial idea for tiny house villages actually hatched from the vacant space that affordable housing developments leave during the permitting and zoning processes. Our Executive Director, Sharon Lee, was determined to make use of this land and started hosting tent encampments and, with the support of community partners, started building tiny houses and bringing hygiene trailers to the site, prototyping the tiny house villages that exist today. Affordable housing can take 3-7 years to purchase a property, design a building, do neighborhood outreach, and build and occupy the building. Many people without homes are on wait lists for permanent housing, and in the meantime, their only options include living in tents, RV’s, cars, and encampments.

It takes a village to run a village! Every tiny house village has a Community Advisory Committee (CAC). CACs are formed from the surrounding neighbors, businesses, and community stakeholders at each village to discuss ideas, concerns, or questions raised by the community and provide advisory feedback and input to staff on operations and services. For more information about serving on the CAC, contact Community Engagement Manager, Marta Kidane at marta.kidane@lihi.org or 206-858-0734.

Tiny Houses currently cost about $5000 worth of materials to build. The average Year 1 infrastructure costs to install and operate a 42-house village, is roughly $850,000. That means total construction, set-up, and Year 1 operations costs of $24,738 per tiny house. The more intensive the supportive services, the higher the cost for operations.

The entire construction process takes 2-3 months and consists of earthwork, fencing, decking, and electrical, plumbing, and sewer connections. All houses are prefabricated off-site by SFNW or other volunteer builders. When the site is ready, the houses are transported by truck and dropped in place.

Tiny houses are wood framed construction, fully insulated, painted, and roofed with standard asphalt shingles.  They also have durable vinyl flooring, two operable windows, and a locking front door for clients’ privacy and security.  SFNW builds the vast majority of our houses, while groups like schools, churches, apprenticeships programs, and families make up the rest of our builders. Tiny houses can be built by anyone and we have all our documents, processes, and blueprints available on our Tiny House Construction Resource Hub. SFNW uses a jig system and assembly line style building process that allows them to work on multiple homes at a time and finish 3-4 houses per week.  Volunteer-built houses, such as those built by a school, church, or family on their own site, can take about 1-3 months depending on time commitment and skill level. We have all our documents, processes, and blueprints available on our Tiny House Construction Resource Hub.

In addition to tiny house villages, we also develop and operate other non congregate shelters such as renovated motels and hotels. These shelter options offer the same safety, privacy, and dignity to tiny house villages and have a code of conduct, supportive services, and 24/7 staffing. Each participant or couple gets their own locking room including a bathroom with a communal kitchen and community spaces on site. We activate a congregate shelter within some of our shelter buildings as part of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority Severe Weather Activation when temperatures go below 35 degrees during the evenings. One of our more unique projects is our Oasis Inn Enhanced Shelter in Tacoma that operates shelter units, permanent supportive housing, medical respite beds, and Apple Health (Medicaid) services all on one campus.