New microunit shelters are coming to the Interbay neighborhood in Seattle, as part of Mayor Katie Wilson’s plan to rapidly expand shelter during her term and more immediately before World Cup games start in June.
The 75 units, which are set to be developed by the Everett-based company Pallet Shelter, represent the first and only project that the mayor has announced so far. She has committed to 500 units by the time FIFA arrives in two months.
The land that will house the microshelters is privately owned, and the city has already approved a contract with Pallet to start development. The company has yet to determine how much the project will cost.
Wilson promised that more sites will be announced soon and that they won’t be limited to one area of the city.
“This is a citywide problem, and it's going to take citywide effort to solve it,” Wilson said in a community briefing at City Hall on Wednesday evening.
The new shelter site, at 1551 W. Armory Way, will include 70-square-foot individual living spaces made of composite panels, akin to those set up during natural disasters, for single adults along with shared bathrooms and hygiene areas. People who move in will receive case management, mental health services and substance use treatment arranged by the nonprofit Immanuel Community Services, according to a presentation from the city.
The site sits just a few parcels away from a more than 70 unit tiny home village that the Low Income Housing Institute has operated since 2017.
The Pallet site is expected to open by June 15, when the World Cup games in Seattle start. Before that time, the shelter operators will go through a community engagement process with the surrounding neighborhood.
Pallet has developed sites in more than 130 cities in Washington and across the country.
The mayor’s staff said future announcements will come out as soon as details are finalized over the coming weeks. The mayor maintains that she intends to create 4,000 units of shelter throughout her term.
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