Closure of Tiny House Village in Seattle Prompts Concern

Meant to serve chronically homeless people, the Licton Springs tiny house village has been controversial from the start. It's uncertain whether enough permanent housing exists to resettle all residents.

1 minute read

October 6, 2018, 5:00 AM PDT

By Philip Rojc @PhilipRojc


Tiny House Prefab

Jon Callas / Flickr

Seattle is one of several cities experimenting with tiny houses as a means to address chronic homelessness. This is the first time the city's phasing out one of its tiny house sites, which are meant to serve as transitional housing. Kate Walters writes, "The Licton Springs site opened on Aurora Avenue North in 2017 and was controversial from the get-go. Unlike most other villages and shelters in the city, alcohol and drug use are allowed at the Licton Springs site."

Nearby residents have associated the site with a noticeable increase in crime. But for those who've benefitted from the tiny houses, the future is now very uncertain. Service providers say that a lack of affordable housing makes it difficult to transfer residents into permanent dwellings. "Only 33 people were moved from tiny house villages across Seattle into permanent housing in the first six months of 2018. The number of tiny house villages has gone up this year, but the rate at which people are leaving for housing has gone down by 5 percent over the same time last year."

Meanwhile, Seattle appears to have learned something from the case. Namely, that a more hands-on approach is advisable. "City officials say lessons have been learned from the Licton Springs site, including that participation in case management and housing searches should be required."

Thursday, September 27, 2018 in KUOW

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 7, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

People biking along beach path with moored ship in San Diego, California.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan

The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

May 2, 2025 - SD News

Front of Walmart store with sign.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network

The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

May 7, 2025 - Inc.

Pump station with blue pipes coming out of concrete wall in Seattle, Washington.

Seattle Builds Subway-Sized Tunnel — for Stormwater

The $700 million ‘stormwater subway’ is designed to handle overflows during storms, which contain toxic runoff from roadways and vehicles.

3 hours ago - City Observatory

Sign for Deschutes National Forest in Oregon.

Feds Clear Homeless Encampment in Oregon Forest

The action displaced over 100 people living on national forest land near Bend, Oregon.

5 hours ago - The New York Times

Seeing the Better City

Is This Urbanism?

Chuck Wolfe ponders a recommended subscription list of Substack urbanists and wonders — as have others — about the utility of the "urbanist" moniker.

6 hours ago - Resurgence: A Journey via Substack

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.