After a slow start, the future home of the Ballard Nickelsville camp in the Northlake neighborhood is taking shape.
A few dozen volunteers organized by the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) pitched in today, helping put the first tiny houses into position and providing finishing work. The houses are assembled off-site — in volunteers’ driveways, churches and a college campus — and shipped to the site at 3814 4th Ave. NE.
Brad Gerber from LIHI told My Ballard that the site should be ready by mid-March for the Ballard Nicklesville camp to move. The camp was planning to move in November, but the land — which is owned by the city — was not ready. Since then a house was demolished, and workers filled and leveled the site with rock and gravel.
Organizers expect to have 20 tiny houses on the site along with electricity and running water (which the Ballard location does not offer), including toilets and showers. The homes will be decorated with welcome signs inside.
About 25 people will move over from Ballard, and another 5 will join them for a total of 30 residents, Gerber said.
LIHI is holding another work party at the Northlake site next Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you’re interested in helping, please RSVP first on the LIHI website.
The show must go on, Happy Campers!
It didnt come together quickly , they will be 4 months late to the new site.
This is great, glad that people who want some help get some.
Hopefully people like rufus get over their terrible a**sholeness and become human. Grow some compassion dude. You’re an embarrassment to ballardites everywhere .
@Andrew, let me guess? You are a progressive liberal who knows all the answers and vilify anyone that doesnt agree with your thoughts. Peace
I actually read Rufus’s comment as an indicment of the city for dragging its feet (again) on providing much needed shelter. But yeah, butthurt Left gonna be butthurt.
We still see a lot of folks camping under the freeways. Don’t they know about the cabins?
I wonder what Ivar’s thinks about all these new neighbors?
@Snuffy – I expect they’ll keep clam about the whole thing.
Welcome, new neighbors!
The cabin folk will have great view of the Lake Union fireworks in July.
How can 25 people from the Ballard camp move over. It has not been at its capacity of 26 for months? It has been operating with a big vacancy at about 19-22 residents.
What will happen to the Ballard site tiny homes? Will they be moved to the new site or remain where they are, unpainted and vacant?
Will the Ballard site remain unused for a full year, since the unauthorized occupancy carried over 4 months. or will the City try to re-occupy it in November 2018?
The incompetency in running these camps is simply amazing.
I was walking past the still existing Nickelsville on NW Market St last week, and there was the very clear smell of pot smoke emanating from there. I never smelled pot or got any other indications of drugs other than cigarette butts from the camp previously. What’s up with drugs being allowed now at Nickelsville?