YAKIMA – During Tuesday night’s city council meeting a motion to amend Camp Hope’s lease agreement to include space for up to 45 tiny houses and a parking lot for RVs was unanimously approved.
This comes after the council’s many discussions about solving the homelessness problem in Yakima. The council previously suggested designating a parking lot where people could sleep in cars.
Council Member Patricia Byers said that plan had several problems with it, including excessive cost and figuring out the size needed.
Camp Hope Director Michael Kay suggested creating a parking lot at Camp Hope where people could stay in their RVs instead. This would include building an area for sewage disposal like state parks have. He also suggested adding pallet tiny houses to the camp. The council members seemed to like this plan better.
Byers said she was in full support and made the motion to approve the amendment to their lease.
“Camp hope is a secured area, they’ll be able to provide the size of parking area, people will have access to showers, bathrooms, cooking, those kinds of things,” Byers said.
Mayor Janice Deccio agreed.
“Like I said, it makes sense they’ve got so much going on there they’ve got ways to get people moved on to permanent housing,” Deccio said.
No one on the council shared any opposing view to this plan.
Kay said Camp Hope has had a tiny house program for the last three years. However, the kind they built cost upwards of $40,000. The pallet tiny houses cost around $10,000 and they’re easily movable.
Kay said he has wanted to incorporate these tiny houses to the camp for awhile now because it could really help people.
“There’s a lot of people on the street that have traumas, they’re victims of abuse, crimes, stuff like that and they cannot do congregate living so they need a tangible locking door for them to feel safe and secure,” Kay said.
Many larger cities have began using these tiny houses, Kay said there is evidence these tiny houses help put a dent in the amount of people on the streets.
Kay’s plan to decrease homelessness in Yakima has four phases. Phase one, is buy 10 tiny houses and put them on the north side of the camp for people experiencing trauma.
Phase two, is build the parking lot for up to 10 RVs. Phase three, is add larger tiny houses for small families. Phase four, is add more small tiny houses for nontraditional couples who can’t get into shelters together because they aren’t married.
“People can stay in a dormitory, they can stay in a tiny home, they can stay in a tent, they would have options, which is a concept,” Kay said.
People staying in the tiny houses or their RVs would still have to follow the Camp Hope rules like everyone else. This includes being subject to searches, avoiding drug use and receiving services.
“This is not a traditional homeless shelter by any means, this a community of people trying to get their lives back,” Kay said.
Camp Hope would raise the funds to pay for everything, so it would come at no additional cost to the city. In addition to hosting fundraisers, Kay said some businesses have shown interest in sponsoring a tiny house.
“We have an opportunity for businesses to purchase one or half of one whatever they’d like to do,” Kay said.
The business can choose to decorate the tiny house however they’d like. Kay added he would love for people to go check them out and see what they are investing in.
Anyone can donate to help make this plan possible.
“The community can drive by and say that’s our contribution to solving homelessness,” Kay said.
Phase one will cost around $100,000. Camp Hope has already raised $30,000 with the help of several organizations.
They will be hosting a Gala at the Modern Living Building at the fairgrounds on May 21 at 6p.m. to talk about this plan. The community is welcome to attend. People can also donate by going to Camp Hope’s website and making a donation and indicating it’s for a tiny home in the notes.
