Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s ambitious program to create new temporary housing for the homeless is finally creating new units.
The first 50 housing units will be ready on Tuesday.
While it’s far short of the mayor’s promised 500 units to be ready before the World Cup begins on June 15, Wilson took a victory lap on Sunday.
The mayor, surrounded by supporters at a new tiny home village in Seattle’s Interbay section, noted that the city had worked with a private developer to create a tiny home village in just a few months.
“What has been accomplished here is remarkable,” she said in remarks at the ceremonial opening of the housing village. “From site selection to opening day, this project moved from concept to reality in approximately five months. That has been one of the fastest shelter development timelines our city has ever achieved.”
Wilson was cheered by supporters in an event reminiscent of a political rally.
Several housing units decorated with balloons were open for inspection on Sunday. Each unit is its own individual building with a small desk, a chair, a bed, and a storage area. Bathrooms and kitchens are communal, shared by residents in separate buildings. Continental breakfast, lunch and dinner are served daily by a catering company, so the kitchens are more for making snacks
Wilson’s program calls for 4,000 new units of temporary housing in the four years of her administration.
Whether the city can scale up the production of new housing units to meet long-term goals remains to be seen.
Wilson said the building of the 500 new units before the World Cup was an aspirational goal. While it won’t be met, she said new units are coming online at a rapid pace, demonstrating the city’s commitment to building new housing.
