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Nickelsville Work Party!
Today (Fri 3/18) through Sunday 9am - 4pm
Our partners at Nickelsville are working today through Sunday to reclaim, recycle, and reuse the materials still remaining at the site of their former camp at 1010 S. Dearborn St. Please see the letter below from Nickelsville for details on how you can help and a general update on their work.
Greetings from Nickelsville! March 18, 2016
Today is the start of our weekend push to reclaim, repair and move two Security Posts, 4 Tiny Houses, 8 Garden Containers, 15 Tent Platforms and too many Concrete Blocks to count. Please come to 1010 South Dearborn St., near the Goodwill store, and help!
Over the last week much (but not all) of the trash has been removed from this now closed South Dearborn site. That allows us to concentrate on saving and moving the things that will make our Ballard, Union and Othello Nickelsvilles better. Fancy forklifts, flatbeds and big trucks are being rented. The generator is ready.
Everyone can help in their own way: If you have a strong back, please bring it. If you have a vehicle, come help transport things. If you bake cookies, we'll help you eat them. If you've got a guitar, we'll listen.
Nickelsville wants to thank the owner of 1010 South Dearborn for letting us use his property for over a year. We'd like to show our gratitude to our partners at LIHI and the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd too. Every Nickelodeon, though, has worked at least a day already clearing up Dearborn, many of us have worked several, plus security shifts, and half of us have just moved from one location to another ourselves. By lending a hand this weekend you'll also show our partners that their efforts are appreciated.
Each day - Friday the 18th, Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th - some of us will start at 9:00 AM. We'll keep plugging away until 4:00 PM, unless interrupted by winds above 30 mph (again). All help is appreciated, whether it is for one hour or a whole day.
QUICK UPDATE ON THE THREE 'NICKEL-VILLAGES':
1) Tiny House Village at 22nd and Union started in mid-January. It has 14 Tiny Houses which each have electricity and heat. The Lucky Seven Foundation is sponsoring a Shower Pavilion to go along with our Bathroom Pavilion (with running water.) This community continues to receive international attention and last week was visited by the leaders from Vulcan (the real estate firm, not the planet.)
2) Nickelsville Ballard: While some Ballardites flipped out at the thought of homeless people on Market Street last summer, they have been terrific neighbors ever since we moved in. Over 6 folks have moved on into Permanent Housing with the help of the Case Managers from the Low Income Housing Institute, and day to day operations continue to be successful.
There are usually about 23 people living here, but there isn't really a set 'capacity.' Both the Tent Platforms and the 5 Tiny Houses can take one person or a couple - it is just a question of how many couples we have - usually there are two or three.
3) Othello Village started just last week and everything available was full up within days. On the third day 4 families had moved in, one with six people. It already has 11 Tiny Houses on site, plus two Cargo Containers prepared for habitation. There are 8 tent platforms there now. Tomorrow students from Hazel Wolf K-8, who have already donated a Tiny House, will be visiting to paint it and another Tiny House.
Othello Village is where we hope to bring the 4 Tiny Houses from Dearborn, and most of the Garden Planters. The land is owned by the Low Income Housing Institute, who plan to build affordable housing here in several years. Directly to the south now are 6 affordable housing units, plus a closed mini mart that LIHI also owns. They are working hard at converting this Mini Mart temporarily into showers for Nickelsville.
IN CONCLUSION:
All three of our present sites allow us to stay for at least a year - perhaps two. While we still haven't found a source to pay for needed bus tickets or staff, for the first time EVER the cost of both the bathrooms and trash is covered. We hope this new found stability - plus case managers from LIHI at all sites - will help people move on more quickly than ever.
It should also give Nickelsville a chance to catch it's breath and do some of the eco-village projects - solar energy and gardens for example - that have gotten short shrift in our first 7 years. (Things that won't be changing are the emphasis on everyone during their fair share, everyone being held accountable, and strict rules, including sobriety and non-violence.)
Don't hesitate to drop by during daylight hours and check our communities out. We got to know many of you in the past through a meal or a visit. We are still up for meals, and you can schedule them through staff@nickelsville.works.
Mayor Murray clearly wants our Villages to succeed, and took brave steps to get these sanctioned encampments on track. Please thank him - and the City Council - for sticking their necks out. It might help to do that before you also encourage them to do much much more - because the number of homeless people in Seattle just keeps exploding.
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Thanks for your support!
Sharon Lee
Executive Director
Low Income Housing Institute
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