Summary

King County Executive Dow Constantine joined Chief Seattle Club Executive Director Colleen Echohawk and others to celebrate the completion of a new housing project in Seattle’s Sodo neighborhood focused on serving Native American and Alaska Native people exiting homelessness.

Story

King County and the Chief Seattle Club held a celebration today to mark the completion of Eagle Village. The program featured Native drumming and performances by members of the Chief Seattle Club, which will serve as the onsite housing and service provider.

Eagle Village is a pilot project using modular buildings to create dormitory-style bridge housing to help people transition from homelessness to permanent housing. Purchased in Houston for $90,000 per unit, the modular buildings formerly housed oil workers.

“We know that people of color, and particularly Native Americans, are disproportionately represented in the homeless population, and we are committed to tackling that challenge,” said Executive Constantine. “With our first completed modular housing project, we are partnering with the Chief Seattle Club to focus on providing safe housing and onsite services for urban Native residents. With Eagle Village, we are turning plans into action, and dreams into hope.”

“In the spirit of true partnership, King County approached Chief Seattle Club to develop Eagle Village. King County recognizes the disparities facing our Native homeless community, and is proactively finding solutions to work with us. We are so excited to work with King County on Eagle Village,” said Colleen Echohawk, executive director of the Chief Seattle Club.

The Sodo location will offer housing and provide 24/7 onsite case management for up to 30 people. Units may be filled by singles, couples, or roommates, and pets are welcome. Each dorm room has a bedroom, bathroom with shower, a microwave and a mini-fridge. King County ordered an additional building, also modular, to provide space for counseling and case management, gatherings, storage and shared laundry facilities

Programming for services is focused on Native American and Alaska Native people seeking to exit homelessness. The onsite service provider is the Chief Seattle Club, a proven agency in engaging and serving urban Native people and helping them connect to employment, health services and permanent housing.

Data shows that Native American and Alaska Native people are ten times more likely to experience homelessness and are currently disproportionately represented among the people in King County experiencing homelessness. 

The location in Sodo is on King County property owned by Metro. While the site will be developed in the future, Metro was able to make it available for interim use.

The project marks a strong collaboration between the King County Department of Community and Human Services, Department of Executive Services Facilities Management Division, and Metro. The capital cost was $3.3 million for the purchase of the buildings, utility hookups and other development costs. Annual operational costs are about $800,000.

A variety of fund sources contributed to the purchase and development of Eagle Village, including the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy, King County General Fund, hotel/motel tax revenues, and funding from the State Department of Commerce. 

Residents will move in in mid-November.

Nine additional modular units are stored at a King County facility on Harbor Island. Five more are set to arrive from Texas and will also be stored on Harbor Island. These units will be used to support up to 75 households at yet to be determined locations in King County.

Relevant links

• King County Homelessness Emergency Response
• Chief Seattle Club

Quotes

We know that people of color, and particularly Native Americans, are disproportionately represented in the homeless population, and we are committed to tackling that challenge. With our first completed modular housing project, we are partnering with the Chief Seattle Club to focus on providing safe housing and onsite services for urban Native residents. With Eagle Village, we are turning plans into action, and dreams into hope. 

In the spirit of true partnership, King County approached Chief Seattle Club to develop Eagle Village. King County recognizes the disparities facing our Native homeless community, and is proactively finding solutions to work with us. We are so excited to work with King County on Eagle Village.

This new modular housing project is exactly the type of solution our unsheltered community members need to exit homelessness. Not only will it provide much needed shelter, it will also include programming aimed to tackle the unique needs and reflect the culture of the urban Native residents it seeks to serve.

For more information, contact:

Alex Fryer, Executive Office, 206-477-7966