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Seattle Opens First 50 Tiny‑Home Shelters Under Low‑Barrier Plan

The city’s fast build of pallet homes outside the regional homeless authority could reshape oversight and local safety discussions.

Overview

  • Seattle opened the first 50 single‑adult pallet homes in Interbay this week and plans to add 25 more by the end of June with additional sites coming this summer.
  • Each unit is about 70 square feet and local reporting put the per‑unit cost at roughly $16,000, as the city pursues a fast procurement and permitting process with Pallet Shelter.
  • Mayor Katie Wilson said the site will follow a low‑barrier, high‑support model that does not require residents to be sober or to accept treatment to enter but offers voluntary behavioral‑health services.
  • The city has pledged $17 million to fund the first 500 temporary units and is building outside the King County Regional Homeless Authority, a move that has prompted a City Council deadline on the authority’s future for the mayor to decide by Aug. 1.
  • Neighborhoods and some advocates have warned that a no‑sobriety entry policy could allow on‑site drug use and public‑safety problems, while the city argues getting people indoors quickly will let outreach workers connect residents to services.