What is a tiny home for the homeless? Why do we need them?

Every night in Seattle/King County, WA, more than 9800 people sleep on the streets or in vehicles, according to the 2024 Point-in-Time Count.  That’s a 27.7% increase in unsheltered folks in just two years. There is a tremendous and immediate need for desirable, indoor alternatives.  Tiny homes are small structures built as temporary alternatives to living outside, so that our homeless neighbors aren’t sleeping in leaky tents, muddy encampments, unsafe vehicles, or abandoned buildings while they await permanent housing.  Tiny homes are not permanent housing and are not an alternative to building more permanent affordable housing.  Rather, they are non-congregate, transitional shelter that allows our homeless neighbors to live inside where it’s warm, safe, and dry while they stabilize in a village with support from professional staff to help move them to the next step in their lives.