Tiny homes concept worth a closer look
When it comes to lending a helping hand to the homeless, our community, by and large, has demonstrated that it’s empathetic and open to seeking solutions. Mayor Rob Putaansuu last year organized an ad-hoc committee of civic and social services leaders to address this critical issue. And organizations like South Kitsap Helpline, Kitsap Community Resources, Kitsap Rescue Mission and Housing Kitsap are just some of the non-profit agencies who are working tirelessly assisting the homeless in our area.
The same is true of many residents of Port Orchard and South Kitsap who, without fanfare, are making a difference in the lives of their fellow residents — many of whom are among the working poor — by offering help in finding shelter.
Recent attempts to organize so-called temporary “tent cities” in our area, however, have been met with opposition by neighborhood residents bordering proposed sites. They have raised legitimate concerns that are being addressed in homelessness committee meetings and by South Kitsap agencies seeking temporary and permanent housing solutions.
But one of those concerns could be mitigated through a concept proposed by Low Income Housing Institute, a Seattle-based agency, and Sharon Lee, its executive director. Although their concept isn’t novel — a pilot project was begun in Utah a few years ago to build tiny houses to house people who have been without shelter or have been forced to live in makeshift tents — it has generated positive results by reducing the numbers of individuals and families on the streets in Salt Lake City.
Lee wrote a guest column last week in The Seattle Times that advocates a similar approach in the Emerald City to combat a dramatic 19-percent increase in homelessness in King County from 2015 to 2016.
She illustrated the success garnered so far by a 50-unit tiny house community in Ballard, the Central Area and Rainier Valley in Seattle. These minimalist “houses,” the size of a small 8-foot-by-12-foot bedroom, have windows and a door that not only protect a family of three or four from the weather but also from street violence.
She cited statistics from the King County medical examiner in 2016: 69 homeless men and women died living on the streets. “More people died from being homeless than from homicides last year. No one should have to die from being homeless,” Lee wrote in the newspaper.
The costs to build these structures is minimal. Each wooden house costs $2,200 for wood and building materials. They are built using volunteer labor. But the pushback there, here and elsewhere has been where to locate them. This initiative may seem like guerrilla housing, she wrote, but the city has finally established a legal process that cuts through the red tape of process-happy Seattle. Three city-sanctioned sites, each accommodating 160 people — including children — were established through a collaborative process involving area residents, non-profit agencies and city government.
A couple of elements have been key to the success of these short-term communities: The tiny structures — similar in appearance to a backyard shed — are much more visually acceptable to neighbors, in contrast to the haphazard appearance of tents and jury-rigged shelters. And temporary housing is just one part of a directed effort to get residents back into a more secure, permanent setting as quickly as possible.
In tandem, agencies work with residents to help them find better employment opportunities and social services, such as mental health care or family counseling.
We’re encouraged that Port Orchard’s mayor and City Council members are taking the homelessness issue seriously.
It would be worth the effort for everyone to learn more from our civic neighbors to the east about successes — and challenges — of this promising short-term housing alternative.
