Belmont Tiny House Village Coming to Capitol Hill!

On Monday, April 20th, LIHI hosted a community meeting for our newest tiny house village, Belmont Tiny House Village (formerly known as Cap Hill Village).

Located in the heart of Capitol Hill at 1737 Belmont Ave., Belmont Village will feature 32 tiny houses serving individuals and couples living unsheltered. The village will feature 24/7 staffing, a security pavilion, staff and case management offices, a community kitchen, and hygiene and laundry facilities. Six of the tiny houses and common facilities will be accessible. 

Belmont Village Site Plan

The village will have an onsite case manager supporting clients in obtaining housing, employment, income support, health care, getting IDs, applying for benefits, education programs, and more. There will also be an onsite behavioral health specialist to provide services and refer clients to outpatient care, such as medication-assisted treatment (MAT).

Belmont Village will be located on land owned by the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC). DESC plans to develop the site into permanent supportive housing for chronically unhoused individuals in the future. The tiny houses at Belmont Village will replace the ones at LIHI’s Friendship Heights Village, located at 125th St. and Aurora Ave. N. LIHI is now developing that into 125th Senior Housing, which will provide 90 units of senior housing. 

At the meeting, community members heard from LIHI staff and guest speakers. Pastor Lawrence Willis of New Direction Missionary Baptist Church, the village’s religious sponsor, shared: “This village is going to be special because New Direction Church, which I pastor now, is going to sponsor this village. This is their first village, and we’re excited about doing the work and getting people off the streets, getting their lives transitioned and changed."

Pastor Lawrence Willis, New Direction Missionary Baptist Church

Artie Nostrati, Community Relations Manager at the City of Seattle, was present to express the Mayor’s support for Belmont Village: “Expanding shelter and bringing people inside is Mayor Wilson’s number one priority. She’s committed to bringing 1,000 people inside this year. We want to do it the right way. We want to do it with shelter that gives people security and dignity, including tiny homes like this one."

Artie Nostrati, City of Seattle Community Relations Manager

Alisa Scott, a former tiny house village client and dedicated advocate for tiny house villages, generously shared her story with community members as well. “I can just tell you what a blessing the tiny house villages were. We had a door, and we were safe, and we were warm, and we were dry. And oh my gosh, to know what a blessing a shower is."

Alisa Scott, former client and advocate

Belmont Tiny House Village is slated to start construction soon. If you’d like to support the village, there are multiple ways you can get involved! During the construction process, there are opportunities to volunteer to help build items such as picnic tables, planters, and decks for the tiny houses. Once Belmont Village opens, we welcome donations, community events, and any other ideas for special programming. Visit LIHI’s volunteer page to learn more! 

You can also apply to join Belmont Village’s Community Advisory Committee, a group of neighbors and business owners that will meet monthly to give input and receive updates about village operations and management. Our other nearby villages, T.C. Spirit Village and True Hope Village, also have Community Advisory Committees if you would like more information.