In the News

The Seattle Times: “WA county to replicate Texas’ huge solution to homelessness”

September 22, 2024
By: Greg Kim, Seattle Time staff reporter

“TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS – Every now and then, Juan Javier Pedroza hears one of his neighbors ranting all night into the morning.

Four years ago, he moved out of a tent in Austin into one of the largest and most famous tiny home villages in America, where hundreds of people who have spent long stretches outside live in small manufactured homes and RVs spaced at least 10 feet apart.

“We’re not all perfect here. And some people are going through their own issues,” Pedroza said.

But he says the space between his neighbors’ homes and his makes it work.

With more than 80% of residents staying each year, Travis County’s model of using small homes as permanent housing is inspiring copycats around the country, including in Washington. Officials in Pierce County, with the second-largest homeless population in the state, are betting tens of millions of dollars this style of housing will bring people inside who would remain on the streets otherwise.

Read the full article here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/wa-county-to-replicate-texas-huge-solution-to-homelessness/