New Tiny Home Village Opens in South Tacoma: ‘I’m just so grateful’

Author: Conner Board

TACOMA, Wash. — A new tiny home village in Tacoma hopes to get people off the streets and into permanent housing.

Kingfisher Village, operated by the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI), opened this month in South Tacoma and has already welcomed its first residents. A grand opening event was held Wednesday.

The site includes 60 tiny homes and offers 24/7 staffing, along with case managers to support residents as they work toward stability.

According to the most recent Point-in-Time Count, homelessness in Pierce County increased by more than 20% between 2023 and 2024.

“I hope there’s a day when we’re not celebrating the opening of a tiny home village, but as long as there’s a need, we have to do this,” said Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards.

The city recently lost more than 150 shelter beds, including dozens of tiny homes. While some of those sites are being redeveloped as affordable housing—something Woodards supports—she said interim shelter like Kingfisher Village remains essential. 

“It’s not just housing, it’s not just a roof over somebody’s head, but there is case management, there is support, so that people can really get on their feet and get into their own homes,” she said.

Funding for the village came from the state’s Encampment Resolution Program, which focuses on moving people out of public rights of way—such as freeway overpasses and on-ramps—and into safer shelter. Pierce County plays a role in allocating those state funds. 

“This is to resolve homeless encampments under freeway overpasses and city streets and parks,” said Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello.

Mello said finding solutions to homelessness is a priority and that tiny home villages like this one are effective.

“You get your own dignified space, you get your own private space to lay your head at night, to have your belongings,” said Executive Mello.

‘I’m just so grateful’

Kimberly Soto, a LIHI resident, knows firsthand how powerful that support can be. She previously lived in her car before moving into a tiny home at a different LIHI site. In recent months, she transitioned into a permanent LIHI affordable housing unit.

She credited LIHI’s case managers with helping her get back on her feet after the death of her fiancé led to a period of instability.

“It’s just always been positive and helped me look forward to the future,” Soto said. “I’m just so grateful. It’s such an amazing feeling to have your own place and be responsible.”

She is hopeful that Kingfisher Village will give others a new future, as the Low-Income Housing Institute did for her. She reminds people who come here that although people are there to help you, you need to put in the work as well.

“If you think negative, you’re always going to have negative,” Soto said. “Just keep thinking positive, keep pushing on, waking up every day making a goal for yourself, tell it to your case management and they’ll help you with that.”

Although the property is a tiny home village now, the long-term plan is to turn the property into affordable housing.