True Hope Village on E Yesler Way

Mayor Katie Wilson will host a “Community Briefing” on her plan to rapidly expand emergency shelter in Seattle.

The Wednesday night event at City Hall will include “a conversation with representatives from business, neighborhoods, and service providers” and the mayor and officials will “take questions from community members gathered there,” according to Wilson’s office.

CHS reported here on Wilson’s push on two pieces of legislation that will allow larger tiny house villages in the city and make it easier to secure permits for the villages. A third bill would put $4.8 million from “underutilized city sources” to fund the creation of the new shelters.

As of early 2026, there are around a dozen tiny house villages currently operating within the Seattle city limits. The number has grown with the opening of the Olympic Hills Village in Lake City in February 2026. Most of these sites are managed by the Low Income Housing Institute in partnership with the City of Seattle and the King County Regional Homelessness Authority.

The mayor’s office points to “Proven Large-Scale Models” in other areas as examples for how Seattle can make progress on its homelessness crisis including projects like the Arroyo Seco Village in Los Angeles with 123 units and the West LA Veterans Association with around 200 units.

LIHI officials say they are preparing for locations in Seattle with 250 clients. Its existing code of conduct would remain in effect.

The legislation from the mayor’s office follows her executive order in January to speed up the creation of new shelter and affordable housing in the city with a new “interdepartmental team” tasked with identifying “options for financial incentives, permitting changes, and other policy changes.”

Mayor Wilson to Host Community Briefing on Shelter Expansion

Seattle Mayor Katie B. Wilson will host a community briefing this Wednesday on the status of her plan to rapidly accelerate the opening of new shelter and emergency housing. She’ll update members of the Shelter Expansion Community Action Team on progress towards the goal of opening 1,000 new units of shelter and emergency housing this year; host a conversation with representatives from business, neighborhoods, and service providers; and take questions from community members gathered there.

Who:
Mayor Katie B. Wilson, joined by members of the Shelter Expansion Community Action Team, subject matter experts, and representatives from business, neighborhoods, and service providers.

What:
Provide a community update on the plan to rapidly accelerate the opening of new shelter, answer questions, and share the next steps to bring more people inside.

When:
6:00 pm, Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Where:
Bertha Knight Landes Room, 1st Floor, Seattle City Hall

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