Community Celebrates Kingfisher Village Grand Opening

On July 23rd, Tacoma and Pierce County shelter and housing agencies and supporters gathered to celebrate the grand opening of Kingfisher Tiny House Village, located at 1824 S. 84th St. in Tacoma.

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Kingfisher Village, a partnership between LIHI, Pierce County, and the Encampment Resolution Program (ERP) at the State Department of Commerce, features 60 tiny houses for people experiencing homelessness and living on state and public rights-of-ways (ROW) in Tacoma and Pierce County. This includes people camping by highways, on-ramps, off-ramps, under bridges, sidewalks, alleys, and other places not fit for human habitation. Referrals are coordinated through Pierce County.  

The event also served as a way to honor Jeff Robinson who passed away on June 12th. In has capacity as Tacoma’s Director of Community and Economic Development he helped shepherd Kingfisher Village through various regulatory hurdles, one of his last acts in a long career of fostering public funds to provide shelter and housing for homeless and low income people.

Sharon Lee with Taylor Robinson and Barbara Meyers, Jeff Robinson's son and wife, standing by a plaque dedicating Tiny House #1 at Kingfisher village to Jeff Robinson.

Dignitaries at the event spoke in memory of Jeff Robinson.

"Jeff left us and while his body is gone, projects like Kingfisher Village show that his spirit is still here and that what he meant to this community will always exist." - Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards

"This is a full circle for me because Jeff and I used to travel to openings of low-income housing and now here I am standing up here and I'm doing it for him. Jeff's work was truly a gift to the many people he worked alongside and worked on behalf of. Jeff never cared about accolades. It was never about him. It was all about the people: meeting them where they were without judgment and extending grace and opportunity. He is deeply missed, but his legacy lives on through the people and organizations such as LIHI that fight every single day to serve people with dignity, equity, and respect. I know he is looking down and saying 'Why are you doing this for me?' but I don't care. This is worth it." - Barbara Meyers

"When we were trying to open the Oasis Inn for medical respite for homeless people, Pierce County said they wouldn't fund the purchase of the hotel without the participation of the City of Tacoma. Jeff went to his colleague in permitting and asked him to waive part of the permit fee for the hotel, which could then count as the City of Tacoma's contribution. That's the sort of creative solution finding that made him such an effective public servant." - Sharon Lee

"As we've all experienced with government, there are a thousand pieces of paper for every penny, which makes many of us afraid. But Jeff Robinson wasn't like that. You could see his heart right away. He would coach you, let you know where you needed to go, what else you needed to do. To Barbara and Taylor, know in your hearts that Jeff did well. Thank you for having shared Jeff with the rest of us." - Lua Pritchard

Pastor Victor deLeon of South Lakeshore Christian Church opened the ceremony with a blessing, quoting Proverbs 24:3-4. "By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established and by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches."

Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards lauded the village, saying that the village "meets its clients where they are at and not where we might wish they were at. Our support of the village reflects the city's commitment in creating a safe, stable service rich environment for our unhoused neighbors. It's what they need in order to become housed."

Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello welcomed Kingfisher Village to the community. "None of us can accomplish big initiatives like this alone. We are stronger and better together. Part of our mission is for Pierce County to build communities that are safe, welcoming and connected. This project is exactly what we need. This village will provide safe housing for folks to lay their head at night instead of under overpasses, on city streets, and in city parks. Look how beautiful it is here with staff to welcome clients to a place they can stay in dignity in their own private space and to connect them to the services they need to take the next step."

Pierce County Councilmember Brian Yambe said, "This is an outstanding example of what we can do when State, County and City work together."

Nathan Peppin, Dept. of Commerce "The Encampment Resolution Program was created to counterbalance the Coordinated Entry program, which helps individual by individual, but prevents helping a whole encampment at once. ERP allows us to help people who are lost and not in the system and help us resolve unsafe encampments."

Kimberly: "I lived in a tiny home and now live in Patsy Surh Place, which is wonderful. Tiny homes help you get self-respect and help you get to the next level of permanent housing. I am totally grateful to my case managers who were knowledgeable, patient and caring and helped me learn how to use the internet and helped me figure out how to get into an apartment. Without tiny homes I don't know where I'd be."

Lua Pritchard, ED of Asia Pacific Cultural Center

Barb Oliver, ED of Sound Foundations NW, which built most of the houses at Kingfisher Village, with colleagues Tom and Dave

Case manager Tiffany Sangster in the case management office