Hilltop Tiny House Shelters Open In Tacoma Thursday

TACOMA, WA — A new tiny house village is set to open in Tacoma Thursday, just one month after the City Council approved its construction. The 22 "micro-shelters" in the city's Hilltop neighborhood will provide shelter for 35 people experiencing homelessness, and offer portable restrooms, garbage services, drinking water, and around-the-clock security. The city invited media members to tour the property Tuesday.

City officials proposed the site, at 802 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, in response to a growing encampment at People's Park in November. Tacoma declared a public health emergency to address homelessness in 2017.

In October, the City Council adopted changes proposed by Metro Parks, prohibiting walled structures, including tents, in Tacoma parks. Enforcement of the tent ban was delayed, pending the creation of new shelter space.

The $388,000 to operate the new temporary shelters comes from the city's General Fund. The site is managed by the Low Income Housing Institute.