Overview
- Seattle’s finance committee, which voted unanimously Tuesday, advanced two bills to let the city lease land for transitional encampments and to allocate $4.9 million for new shelter units.
- The measures head to the full City Council on April 14 for a final vote that could clear the way to open more sites quickly.
- A March 24 council memo estimates $17.5 million is needed to start and run 500 units in 2026 and says the earliest broad readiness is July 14, after Seattle’s June–early July World Cup games.
- Amendments require some units tailored for people with substance-use needs and for women and children, monthly reports on neighborhood impacts, higher village caps to 150 residents, and an option for 250-resident megasites.
- Mayor Katie Wilson has set a goal of 500 units tied to the World Cup as part of a broader push reported as 1,000 units this year, building on 16 existing tiny-home villages that now house 621 units and have drawn debate over drug use rules and nearby quality of life.