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Council hears housing‑first, tiny‑home and scattered‑shelter models as options for local homelessness response
Summary
City attorneys reviewed examples from Walla Walla, Milwaukee, Olympia and Spokane that use Conestoga huts, permanent supportive housing, tiny‑home villages and scattered shelter pilots as different strategies to reduce unsheltered homelessness and link people to services.
City Attorney Sarah Watkins briefed the council on several community models used elsewhere to provide shelter and housing to people experiencing homelessness, describing program designs and results from Walla Walla, Milwaukee, Olympia and Spokane.
Walla Walla: Watkins described a Conestoga‑hut shelter model sited on city property. The city invested an initial $150,000 to prepare foundations and placed approximately 37 huts on site; in 2021 the facility recorded roughly 16,500 nights of shelter and served 221 distinct individuals, Watkins said. The huts are weatherproof, lockable and used as an entry point into services; Walla Walla later added communal buildings for intake, restrooms and showers and uses volunteers and paid security to staff the site.
Milwaukee: Watkins described a housing‑first permanent supportive housing project that targeted chronically homeless individuals and people with chronic alcoholism. The example was a 24‑unit one‑bedroom building with round‑the‑clock social services; Watkins said Milwaukee reported a 92% decrease in its unsheltered population between early 2015 and early 2023 after pursuing housing‑first strategies and adding supportive services. She noted the projects used a mix of county funds, low‑income housing tax credits and debt financing.
Olympia: The city operates three tiny‑home villages run largely by nonprofit providers; one village has about 50 units and others are smaller (one described at 29 units). Olympia’s approach pairs tiny homes with wraparound services and complementary programs such as hotel‑voucher “stability stays” for people who need short‑term shelter for medical recovery and a crisis response unit that provides non‑police outreach for mental‑health crises, substance‑use needs and resource navigation.
Spokane: Watkins described a newly launched scattered‑shelter pilot in which the city closed a large congregate shelter and shifted to smaller sites (roughly 20–30 beds each) distributed across neighborhoods, with a central navigation center to match people to the best site; early pilot results showed several people moving from transitional shelter into housing.
Why it matters: Watkins framed the options as alternatives that combine shelter/housing and services. She reiterated HUD terminology to clarify program types: permanent supportive housing is ongoing housing with services, whereas transitional housing is temporary housing with time‑limited services.
Council reaction: Members asked for comparative cost information and local case counts; Watkins said she would research PIT counts and the Olympia and Walla Walla program costs for follow up. No immediate action was taken; the briefing was presented as information to inform future policy choices.
