SEATTLE — The latest proposal for a tiny house village shelter in South Park is drawing a split reaction from the neighborhood tucked away between the hills of West Seattle and the industrial areas near SR99.
The proposal, called the Cloverdale House Village, would be operated by the Low Income Housing Institute, placing 90 units at 9128 10th Avenue South.
“This is very close to a lot of people, very close to [Conrad International] Elementary School, so it surprised me,” Alex said, a South Park resident since 2021 who preferred not to have his last name published.
Alex was hit in his car by a man driving who, police documents show, stole the RV that hit Alex’s car. It happened near an unsanctioned encampment where he says he saw many stolen packages.
“I believe that accountability is the starting point to resolve problems with homelessness," Alex said.
Alex was frustrated at the town hall on Thursday night about a lack of clear answers as to why the site was chosen. KIRO 7 reached out to Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s office, which announced the shelter earlier this month, about the proposal.
“We are moving quickly to find every opportunity to rapidly expand shelter and emergency housing with wraparound services. We were able to find this property available, and it was suitable for a Tiny House Village, so we moved forward, just as in Interbay and other sites,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
“We do take care of our neighbors and folks in shelters and in tiny house villages; those are our neighbors. And we will take care of them, and I think the city knows that.” Lashanna Williams, who has lived in South Park since 2008.
Williams supports the village, saying it is needed help for people struggling with access to housing.
“I’m happy that people are getting some help. I’m happy that people are getting shelter.” Williams said.
She says ‘everything’ in the approximate 1-square mile of the neighborhood is near the school. LiHi points out that other villages operate closer to schools that they say have had “no issue. Communities near schools have found ways to support our villages,” the organization said in a statement.
For access to transit and other services, however, Williams does question the location.
“They picked a space with some, like just a piece of land with some room,” Williams said.
Wilson’s Office and LiHi say they have plans to transport people living at the village to jobs, services, or other needs. LiHi says they are working on getting vans for that purpose.
Cloverleaf will become the third shelter in the neighborhood—the Glassyard Commons site off of 2nd Ave SW will house 72 sites for RVs and 20 Tiny Homes that LiHi expects to open this summer. Camp Second Chance off of Meyers Way has been open for years, and after the City Council voted to expand shelter capacity, it is the leading candidate to expand to 250 units from its current 69.
Alex says Camp Second Chance makes better sense for a shelter site.
“They have to be housed somewhere; I just don’t understand why South Park needs to carry the burden for all the other neighborhoods out there.” Alex said, “I think it’s disproportionately placed here in the South Park area, which is already a very small community, and it’s very much burdened by other factors, such as aviation noise and pollution.”
" I think our community is a bit forgotten by the city," Williams said, “Unless they would like to experiment and try something, then we’re like the spot they go to.”
“Many of the shelter units being built are being reserved for people living homeless in the area of the shelter. We feel like this is an important show of responsibility to the community, and helps make sure that neighbors can experience the benefits of bringing people inside.” The Mayor’s spokesperson said.
No timeline for the village to open has been announced yet. The site that is identified is still actively being used as car storage when KIRO7 stopped by on Thursday.
“Our dedication to our neighbors and community is important to LIHI and our program participants. We always want to be a good neighbor. We will also have contact info so schools and neighbors can reach us by phone or email with any concerns.” LiHi said in an email in response to KIRO7’s inquiry.
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