Truevine of Holiness Missionary Baptist Church, the Refugee Women’s Alliance of Washington (ReWA), and the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) are partnering to develop the Southend Tiny House Village at 9101 MLK Way S. in Seattle to provide shelter, safety, and community to individuals, couples, and families experiencing homelessness
Site plan for Southend Village
The Village, which just broke ground, will feature 40 heated, powered, secure tiny houses along with case management offices, bathrooms, showers, a laundry facility, a kitchen, and community spaces.
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“LIHI is excited to work with Pastor Lawrence Willis of Truevine of Holiness Baptist Church to develop a new Tiny House Village in South Seattle. There is an urgent, unmet need for shelter in the BIPOC, immigrant, and refugee communities in Rainier Beach,” said Sharon Lee, executive director of LIHI. “A key partner will be Mahnaz Eshetu, the executive director of ReWA, whose agency will provide culturally relevant wrap-around case management services to our villagers.”
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Truevine of Holiness Missionary Baptist Church and LIHI hosted community meetings to get feedback from neighbors, Rainier Beach Action Coalition, African Community Housing & Development, and other community members.
“I am distressed by the number of people I see sleeping in doorways, parks, and in their vehicles during this freezing weather here in Rainier Beach,” said Pastor Willis. “Southend Village will be a critical resource in our community in getting our unsheltered neighbors inside, warm and safe, and on a path to permanent housing. By working together, teamwork will make the dream work.”
~LIHI and Truevine Church will provide people living unsheltered in South Seattle with safe, warm and dry tiny houses instead of sleeping in tents, cars, doorways, or other uninhabitable places. This tiny house village program is not meant to be permanent housing and people are expected to stay under six months. The village will provide shelter to vulnerable families, immigrants/refugees, and others focusing on the BIPOC community. With this in mind, we believe our tiny house villages can pave the way for additional affordable housing in the area. As with our Othello Tiny House Village site, we ultimately want to convert our tiny house villages into affordable housing.
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Lee said, “At Southend Village, we will be able to provide more than 40 families, couples, and single adults who are living unsheltered with a place to live with privacy and dignity. What’s even better, the village will serve as a bridge to permanent housing.”