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Stories of Success
We’ve built hundreds of tiny homes to help move our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness off the streets and into spaces that are warm, safe, and dry while they await permanent housing. Roughly 5000 residents have transitioned through tiny homes built by our volunteers in the past several years.
Sometimes residents, volunteers, donors, and other partners in our drive to shelter our neighbors who are homeless, are willing to share their stories of how tiny homes have impacted or inspired them or their work. We’re grateful when anyone shares the effect that tiny homes have had on their lives, and we’re happy to share those stories here to help inspire others in our community.
“Without tiny homes I don’t know where I’d be.”
On July 23, 2025 Tacoma and Pierce County officials, nonprofit leaders, and supporters gathered to celebrate the grand opening of Kingfisher Tiny House Village, a new 65-home village in Tacoma. Kimberly Soto is a former tiny home village resident who spoke at the opening to personalize the positive impact that tiny homes and villages make:
“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.”
Watch a King5 News segment on Kimberly, and Kingfisher Village, on YouTube.
Andrew C. is an outreach worker for a local homelessness services provider. On October 21, 2024, we sat down with him to find out more about the role tiny homes play for him and his homeless clients:
“If I had exclusive referral power to a village and one opened right now, like in the next hour, let’s say there were 30 to 50 spots? Within an hour or two I could fill it with referrals easily, EASILY.”
read Q&A’s from the full interview with Andrew here
Kathy M. is a retired teacher and volunteer for SFNW. In February, 2025, we asked her what inspired her to start an ambitious private fundraiser for the cost of five tiny homes:
“I think for me the most important thing is, I feel like I’m doing something and it’s going to have an impact. And that’s what it’s all about. It’s just wanting to give back.“
UPDATE, July, 2025: Kathy’s fundraiser was so successful she not only met her goal, she raised funds for a 6th tiny home as well. Wow, thank you so much for your confidence and support of tiny homes, Kathy!
read Q&A’s from the full interview with Kathy here
Hadlie S. was an 11-year-old student at Impact Academy, a local home school cooperative, during the 2024-25 school year. Her program spent time studying the causes and impacts of homelessness, and possible solutions. Like any good researcher, Hadlie decided she wanted to learn directly from someone who had experienced homelessness and Barb helped connect her to Jay, a tiny home resident at Southend Village, who was willing to share his experiences. Hadlie was kind enough to share her interview and her subsequent, “My View Version” with us.
We’re happy to report that Jay has since moved out of his tiny home and into an apartment of his own. And we’re just as happy to see the obvious empathy and compassion with which Hadlie conducted her interview, and to read the conclusions that she reached after digesting Jay’s story. Keep up the great work Hadlie!
read Hadlie’s interview with Jay, and what she learned, here
“In a tent you don’t have a heater and you don’t have a bed.”
Robert was a resident of Camp Second Chance, the original building site of Sound Foundations NW, when this video was made in 2019.
watch Robert’s story on YouTube
“All I know is I feel safe here. I wasn’t feeling very safe there out on the streets.”
Karen was also a resident of Camp Second Chance when she told her story in this video in 2019.
watch Karen’s story on YouTube
Donna Limberger is a former Georgetown Tiny Home Village resident and current LIHI employee. On Feb. 21, 2024, Donna spoke at the opening of Henderson Village and had this to say about the role tiny homes played in her recovery:
[Tiny home villages are the place] “. . . where you can start to remember that you’re worth something, right? And you start to remember that you can be a part of society and that you deserve the basic needs which is housing, and food, and all those things. And when you’re out on the street . . . our homeless neighbors that we see on the street? You forget that you’re worth something, you forget that you’re a part of society and you just don’t think anybody cares. This [tiny homes] is the first step to remembering that people do care about you, which is the first step to moving on, right? To wanting something more, to remembering that you are worth it.”
listen in Donna’s own words here (used with permission)