Burien approves homeless hut shelter after months of debate

The Burien City Council this week accepted a $1 million offer from King County to open a pallet shelter near downtown. The council accepted the money hours before a midnight deadline, after first being offered the money months ago.

Burien plans to set up its first tiny house village thanks to money and pallet shelters from King County.

It’s been a long journey to get here, but on Monday night, just hours before a midnight deadline, the Burien City Council picked a location to open the site using the county’s money.

King County first offered Burien the money in June, when residents experiencing homelessness were moved around to different encampments in the city.

The council voted to open the new pallet shelter for up to one year or until the $1 million is spent — whichever comes first.

Burien Mayor Sofia Aragon on Monday said the pilot program has a limited time frame.

"One home is really built for like four people, and here we are trying to use these limited resources to take care of 40 to 70 people,” Aragon said. “But we'll do the best that we can with it."

The site will include 24-hour security, support services, and a community liaison from the city of Burien.

Councilmember Cydney Moore advocated for the shelter to avoid barriers that could keep people from getting inside quickly, but other council members added rules to a code of conduct, including a ban on illegal drug use.

“This motion is a compromise,” Moore said. “But in the spirit of compromising, to find something that we can move forward with, I am willing to accept these terms.”

The council also decided that 90% of the villagers must be from Burien.

Earlier this month, a camping ban went into effect in Burien that prohibits people from resting or sleeping on public property overnight.

There are currently very few shelter options in the area for people living in tents or hoping to park their RVs without getting towed.

A Burien church opened up its parking lot this month as a place for people to set up their tents, but the city has threatened legal action due to lack of permits.

Burien will work with the King County Regional Homelessness Authority to establish the tiny house village and a service provider to run it.

It’s unclear how soon the huts will be built.