‘Record time’ — Belmont Village opens with 31 new shelter homes on Capitol Hill

(Image: Low Income Housing Institute)

(Image: Low Income Housing Institute)

The Low Income Housing Institute has completed construction on Belmont Village, a new $1.1 million “tiny house village” community on Capitol Hill “in record time.”

Built in just 75 days following a May construction start, the enhanced shelter lot is being touted as a rapid response to the region’s homelessness crisis. The site, funded by the City of Seattle with support like donations by Mattress Firm.

“Tiny house villages reflect how we best meet people exactly where they are, offering a path forward grounded in dignity,” Mayor Katie Wilson said in the announcement. “I am proud to continue our ongoing partnership with LIHI in our shared commitment of addressing the intertwined crises of behavioral health and housing.”

The speed of the build reflects urgent regional demand, underscored by the January Point-In-Time Count for King County, which found that unsheltered homelessness grew by 21% since 2024 — or 2,000 more people — to 11,829.

“Last year LIHI sheltered a total of 1,145 people in tiny houses, if not for tiny houses another 1,145 people would be living on the streets in Seattle,” said Nancy Bennett Evans, LIHI board president.

LIHI is also seeking to maintain its available shelter space in the city. Belmont Village was built to replace Friendship Heights Village located along Aurora Ave N where it is now constructing 90 units of housing for seniors, including homeless seniors.

To help meet this need, the new Capitol Hill community features 31 tiny houses measuring 8’x12’, each equipped with windows, a locking door, electricity, a smoke detector, insulation, heat, AC, a bed, furnishings, and a welcome kit. Six of these micro-shelters and all common facilities are wheelchair accessible.

Across the region, LIHI operates 17 tiny house villages and owns over 3,700 units of affordable housing. In 2025 alone, its tiny house villages served over 1,650 individuals across Seattle, Tukwila, Skyway, Tacoma, and Olympia. It says 55% successfully transition into permanent or transitional housing.

Belmont Village sits on property in the 1700 block of Belmont Ave owned by the Downtown Emergency Service Center, where it plans to eventually develop the parcels into a 120-unit permanent supportive housing facility.

LIHI says the village provides round-the-clock staffing, a security pavilion, a community kitchen, hygiene and laundry facilities, an on-site case manager, and an on-site behavioral health specialist offering outpatient referrals for Medication-Assisted Treatment/Medications for Opioid Use Disorder.

Neighbors have also been finding ways to help with small efforts to organize donations to welcome the village residents.

This spring, the Seattle City Council approved Wilson’s plan for “Shelter Acceleration” in the city that has raised legal limits on residents at “transitional encampments” to 150. The bill also allows one “interim use” 250-resident village in the city.

The plan has produced only 75 new units at a new village in Interbay.

Belmont Village was pursued by LIHI and the DESC and not planned as part of the mayor’s effort to support the rapid expansion of more and larger villages.

Wilson and officials will still be on hand Thursday morning to mark the completion as the Belmont Village celebrates its grand opening.

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