Crowd of Supporters Celebrated Grand Opening of Olympic Hills Tiny House Village
- aaronl67
- 8 hours ago
- 5 min read
On February 19th, the Lake City community and many enthusiastic supporters joined Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) and Purpose. Dignity. Action. (PDA) to celebrate the grand opening of Olympic Hills Tiny House Village. The village, located at 3121 NE 133rd St, Seattle consists of 45 tiny houses and serves as an enhanced shelter for individuals, couples and people with pets.
Sharon Lee, LIHI Executive Director, welcomed everyone and thanked LIHI and PDA staff, City of Seattle, WellPoint Washington, Sound Foundations NW, volunteers and supporters. As the village sponsor, LIHI leased the land from a private owner and completed construction in December 2025. The religious sponsor of the village is New Hope Missionary Baptist Church represented by Rev Dr Robert Jeffrey Sr. LIHI has partnered with PDA as a subcontractor to implement their CoLEAD program.Â
In 2025, LIHI sheltered over 1,660 people in tiny houses. 55% secured housing upon exiting and 98% retained their housing. Tiny houses are the most sought after form of shelter and are in great demand from people living unsheltered.Â
Seattle Channel video: New tiny house village offers a fresh start for some Seattleites
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson led off the program, saying, "I'm very, very excited to be here at the grand opening of Olympic Hills Village. I want to thank everyone who's made this possible, recognizing our partners, LIHI, PDA, Reverend Jeffrey and the New Hope Baptist Church, along with the King County Regional Homelessness Authority for working together to own and operate Olympic Hills Village as a 24-7 enhanced shelter on privately owned land. These things come together with a lot of effort and many, many organizations and individuals putting in the time and energy. It's wonderful to be able to be here when it's all coming together and opening up.
"One of my first acts in office last month was to issue an executive order to accelerate the expansion of emergency housing and shelter. The interdepartmental team that I established in that order is already hard at work. We are accelerating the approaches and funding pathways that will allow shelters like this one to come online faster. We are committed to expanding supportive housing and emergency shelters across Seattle because all Seattleites deserve stability.
"Our shared vision for me, this comes down to this: we need to reduce unsheltered homelessness dramatically, right? Our rates of unsheltered homelessness here in Seattle are unacceptable. I am gratified to know that in this space 45 plus people will be able to have a roof over their head. Our shared vision is fewer people unsheltered, better health outcomes for individuals, and stronger, more stable neighborhoods. This is the kind of care that's being built here on this site. It shows us what's possible when we meet people with dignity, evidence-based services, and consistency."
Brent Lo, speaking on behalf of Seattle City Councilmember Robert Kettle: "Councilmember Kettle is incredibly proud to help secure the funding needed for the tiny house village. Bringing this project to life was difficult, but it was a true group effort and it serves as a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when we work together with the departments, the Regional Homelessness Authority, and the outside stakeholders. This is the first significant shelter capacity expansion we've done in the city for a very long time. We're excited to build on that, on effective and innovative ideas like PDA's CoLEAD program, as well as partnering with LIHI on faster and better ways to build shelter in the city. Because it's not just for our communities, but also our neighbors."
"On behalf of the whole team at PDA, I want to say we are so ecstatic that this day has finally come. The village that we're standing in is one that will change so many lives in the coming years.
"We appreciate your acknowledge-ment that shelters must be people-centered, trauma-informed, and service-rich. Human beings need more than a roof over their head. They need systems of care that are capable of meeting them where they're at and help them to move forward.
"In years of designing and redesigning, we've seen that we can resolve encampments without displacing people. That people with a wide range of needs and barriers can come inside and stay inside. And that all of this can be done without negative impacts to surrounding neighborhoods. Being able to offer someone a roof over their heads is the first step, but it isn't the last.
"CoLEAD is built on modern recovery principles that research shows match how people actually stabilize and recover from complex trauma. We need shelters and ongoing services that are deliberately designed to meet each person's life circumstances. Programs must be intentional about learning from the neighborhoods they work in, take community concerns seriously, and have real strategies for mitigating neighborhood level impacts.
"We're excited to bring what we've learned to Lake City and for this village to be something that the whole community takes pride in."
"Our CoLEAD field team has been working very hard for the last couple of months to prepare to open this village. So today it feels amazing to say that we've officially moved our first round of folks inside the village.
"For years, the services that have been funded, and therefore what has been available, has been well-matched mainly to people who are more self-sufficient. Others who needed a little bit more help were left outside. Those are the folks whose struggles have had a big impact on their surrounding communities.Â
"We realized we needed to bring our folks indoors to start the recovery process, which can be long and non-linear. While trust is gained, layers are peeled back, barriers are discovered, and obstacles are resolved, people need to be able to live in circumstances where they're safe, their basic needs are met, and their trauma can begin to recede.
"What we have learned starting in 2020 is that when we design a response that actually meets the circumstances and the needs of this population, people will come inside. We don't have service-resistant people. We often find that there are people-resistant services. That means that there are so many barriers that our folks can't access what they truly need.
"Co-Lead aims to fill the gap with the care model rooted in relationship and that's why it works and that's why you'll see our teams out there every day."
"Stable housing is associated with better management of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease. It creates a foundation to be able to actually have visits with providers, take medications consistently, and focus on long-term wellness instead of day-to-day survival. Olympic Hills Village is more than 45 tiny homes. It is safety. It is dignity. It is the ability to close a door at night."
"We're fully in support of the Olympic Hills Tiny Home Village and similar efforts to provide housing and support to our neighbors.
Someting Marta Kidane (LIHI) said that really stuck with me is that four walls and roof and a door that locks can really make a difference in a person's life."
