Tukwila Tiny House Village Will Be First in Region to House Families

A new tiny house village (THV) located on the grounds of Church by the Side of the Road (CBSR) in Tukwila will soon open to residents. The village will use its 40 units to house families, distinguishing it from other THVs, which typically are inhabited by couples or individuals. The new facility will maintain a hygiene trailer and provide social services to residents, such as workforce development and recovery services.

"In general, many of the THVs have been sheltering singles, couples, and people with pets, so we're really happy that this one will focus on families with children," said Sharon Lee, executive director of the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI).

"There was a call out for churches and people with land to please come forward so that we can address the homelessness crisis, and Pastor Proctor was one of the first who was outspoken and clear that he would like to use part of his church property for a village," said Lee.

Rev. Terrence Proctor became pastor of CBSR in 2007, and he recalled that before his tenure began, he saw people struggling on one of the city's main thoroughfares.

"On [Tukwila] International Boulevard, there's a lot of indigent humanity. The drugs, prostitution, and homelessness have been there longer than I've been on, but this current homelessness epidemic that we've had for the last twenty-something years is even more evident and obvious," said Proctor.

Before LIHI made the call to churches and landowners to accept a THV on their property, Proctor said his church had sought ways to address the homeless crisis, including hosting tent cities in the past.

"We started to ask, 'How do we partner with other folks who are making an impact with either our frontline helping people, or is there a plan to transition? How can we impact the variables that lead to homelessness or [break] the barriers that keep folk from getting long-term housing,'" said Proctor.

CBSR has provided services to neighbors since it was founded in 1933 by Rev. and Mrs. Ralph Sanders, according to its website. In addition to its new THV, CBSR has hosted free events like lunches and clothing drives.

Tukwila Mayor Thomas McLeod heard about CBSR's efforts to provide housing after a fateful encounter. "I ran into Rev. Proctor's wife at the Costco parking lot, and she was telling me that they ran into a lot of red tape trying to get this off the ground. That was around Aug. 24," said McLeod. "I started looking into it to find out what's holding this thing up. And then we just kept working through it."

The village will receive funding from multiple sources, including King County and the City of Tukwila, according to Lee.

McLeod said additional funding from the Washington State Department of Commerce went toward the hygiene trailer. "We wanted to use those funds for this project. That's when we got the hygiene trailer up there just to make it a better living experience for people," McLeod said.

Although the idea of families living in tiny houses might be surprising to some, given the small space, Lee is confident it can be done. "People will wonder, 'How can people live in a tiny house? It's 18 by 12 feet, it's heated, with air-conditioning, and just a common space.' Basically, we found that if we have a really large family, we will get them two tiny houses, so that they can have two side-by-side tiny houses," said Lee.

Lee added, "The families with children — we're able to get housing for them in some cases quicker, so they're spending less time in a THV," she said.

LIHI announced its partnership with CBSR for the THV on Nov. 21, 2025. While the CBSR THV is finished, it is not yet ready for inhabitants.

"We're still waiting for a contract from the King County Homelessness Authority so that we can open and operate," said Lee. Besides that, Lee said the next step is setting up the community advisory committee, which hosts monthly meetings, something all LIHI's THVs have.

"We will be forming [a community advisory committee] for CBSRV that includes neighbors, businesses, chamber of commerce, maybe faith leaders, people who are interested in monitoring and supporting or just want to find out what's going on in the village," said Lee. "We will have staff that will give information and answer any questions people may have. Also, all the neighbors will get a contact, phone number, and email address to reach staff who are dealing with operations."

Because the CBSRV will house children, potential residents will face strict requirements. "There's a barrier for sex offenders and for people with crimes against children, because we have an early learning center and there's an elementary school across the street," said Proctor.

Additionally, residents cannot be in active addiction and are expected to avoid illicit drug use. "If we're gonna have folks who have a drug history, they have to be part of the recovery program," said Proctor. "If you have an addiction and you want help, we got you. If you have an addiction and don't want help, this is probably not the place for you now, but we'll be here when you're ready."