Northlake has worked to end homelessness for over 10 years. Members have donated socks, hygiene products, paper plates, and food for Thanksgiving meals. We’ve cooked and served meals with Attain Housing. We’ve contributed tens of thousands of dollars to local agencies serving the homeless through our Share the Plate program. Then we decided to get truly hands-on, and we built a Tiny House. And in fall of 2018, our work came even closer to home. We offered a safe, dry, welcoming space to homeless families by hosting an overnight shelter in our sanctuary.
Tiny House Project – The House That Love Built
In March of 2018, the Social Justice Committee proposed that Northlake build a Tiny House. This is a 100 square foot home that offers a tremendous benefit over tents – they are safe, weatherproof, and lockable. Each tiny house has electricity, overhead light and a heater. After they are built, a Tiny House can be moved to a tiny house village, which has kitchen and restroom facilities, onsite showers and laundry, a counseling office, and a welcome/security hut where donations of food, clothing, and hygiene items can be dropped off.
Funds were raised via June’s Share the Plate and donations. Preparation started in July. The tiny house was built in our parking lot by Northlake members and friends, under the supervision of our own John P. People of all ages participated, both those with building experience and many with none. Others provided tasty snack and drinks to cool off on hot summer days. It was exciting to see how quickly we could create a home that would have a lasting impact on homeless people in Seattle.
With enthusiastic support, we built another tiny house in the summer of 2019.