Tiny home village for homeless will stay at current spot until coronavirus outbreak ends
The tiny home village for the homeless will be staying at its current location in Fairhaven until at least three months after the COVID-19 outbreak has ended, according to a city of Bellingham news release.
The city announced Friday, April 17, that it has extended the permit for HomesNOW!, the nonprofit organization that runs the tiny home encampment, for 90 days after the end of the public health emergency. The encampment, called Unity Village, was originally scheduled to operate through April 30.
The extension was granted because it was determined that moving the tiny home village from its location in the city-owned parking lot at 210 McKenzie Ave., near the Post Point Water Treatment Plant, would significantly increase exposure to residents and volunteers to the new coronavirus, the release states. Unity Village provides 20 tiny houses for overnight shelter and amenities for up to 28 people.
As of Friday, there were 271 residents in Whatcom County who have tested positive for COVID-19 and 25 who have died after testing positive for the respiratory illness, according to the Whatcom County Health Department.
“This will protect Unity Village guests, volunteers, and the public throughout the emergency and give HomesNOW! adequate notice and transition time thereafter,” the release states.
The amendment to the permit includes additional conditions that HomesNOW! must follow, including the withdrawal of its application to relocate the tiny home village to the former Clean Green site at Lakeway Drive and Woburn Street. It would have been the fourth temporary site on city-owned land made available to encampments for the homeless operated by HomesNOW!. The nonprofit withdrew its application for the Clean Green site on April 15, the city release states.
The city asked HomesNOW! to withdraw its application because they didn’t want the nonprofit to be trying to establish a new site, with groups of volunteers and residents all gathering together, during a public health emergency, according to Rick Sepler, Planning and Community Development Department Director for the city.
The other conditions included in the amendment to HomesNOW!’s permit require the nonprofit to immediately notify city staff of any confirmed cases of coronavirus in any Unity Village residents, to follow county health and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines as it relates to COVID-19 and homeless populations, including posting up-to-date information in visible locations at the tiny home village, and prohibit any new guests, volunteers, board members or other non-essential visitors from being admitted or visiting Unity Village. The restrictions on admitting new residents or visitors are in effect until the public health emergency has ended, or the county health department lifts the restrictions on group gatherings, according to the permit amendment.
The amendment also allows for the possibility of another extension at the Fairhaven site after the 90 days beyond the public health emergency expires, if authorized by the city. Current city ordinance allows for the tiny home village to stay at the Fairhaven location for up to two years from its start date, on August 24, 2019, according to Sepler.
Sepler said the public health emergency would have to be over, and HomesNOW! would be required to submit an application for an extension to stay at the site. Sepler said the two year period includes the time during the public health emergency. Sepler said if the emergency lasts for a longer period of time, taking Unity Village up to the two-year time limit or beyond, the city would still keep them at the site until the public health emergency is over and the nonprofit’s 90-day extension runs out.
“They have nowhere to go, we’re not going to shoo them off there in this kind of an emergency,” Sepler said.
HomesNOW! will continue to fund and operate Unity Village. The 90-day permit amendment is subject to an appeal period for 14 days.
Sepler said it was “premature” to know if the city would offer a different location for the tiny home village to move to after the public health emergency is over and HomesNOW! leaves the Fairhaven location. Sepler said the mayor is focused on public health and keeping people, such as the residents at Unity Village, safe for the foreseeable future.
“At this point we’re focusing on keeping people safe and healthy,” Sepler said.
This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 1:48 PM.
