While we’re talking tiny houses: Impact West Seattle members are assembling them today at The Hope Factory

(WSB photos)

We told you a bit about The Hope Factory when Mayor Katie Wilson used it as the setting for her announcement of legislation to add hundreds of shelter spaces – including tiny houses – this year (WSB coverage here). The Hope Factory, at the west end of S. Nevada Street, is a cavernous space where volunteers build them. Today, those volunteers include members of the giving group Impact West Seattle.

When they voted to give one of their recent quarterly contributions – comprised of donations from their 200+ members – to The Hope Factory (aka Sound Foundations Northwest), they also made a plan to join the volunteer builders for a day, and today is that day.

We asked if we could stop in to see how that went, and just came back from that visit. Impact West Seattle has eight members building this morning and eight more arriving for the afternoon. This morning, they’ve been building walls; this afternoon, those walls will be raised to finish assembling tiny houses; paint follows.

The Hope Factory – which got its start in West Seattle, with a tiny-house-building operation under a big canopy at Camp Second Chance – has this down to a science, with everything arriving pre-cut, so volunteers just have to assemble, with the help of manuals as well as other, longtime volunteers.

The volunteer operation opens new spots every week after their weekly newsletter goes out on Wednesdays. You can read the newest edition and subscribe here.

2 Replies to "While we're talking tiny houses: Impact West Seattle members are assembling them today at The Hope Factory"

  • Joe Lamy March 26, 2026 (7:09 am)

    To see the world through the eyes of another soul experiencing homelessness is one thing. To build them homes that give them respect, show them civility and kindness and decency is just another step. When they move from a Tiny House Village into permanent housing, get jobs, educations and make deeper connections in our community, we all prosper. We are a force when we treat others as we would like to be treated – not with vengeance or hostility or blame, but with understanding of what kind of torture they have been enduring. It’s our community, and every single one of the unhoused neighbors is a human being with needs precisely identical to the ones we have. A tiny house is a rebirthing experience. These people who created and operate this Hope Factory have earned a measure of gratitude from the planet to the stars. They are sowing compassion, a much-needed ingredient for a better world.

  • Amy Huey March 26, 2026 (11:44 am)

    We loved our time building a tiny home together yesterday! Such a great day using our hands making an impact in our community. Thanks for having us Sound Foundations Northwest!If you would like to learn more about Impact West Seattle, all the details are here online  (https://www.impactwestseattle.com/). We invite you come check us out in person at Center of Active Living on Monday, April 29th at 7pm. We will be discussing the topic “Issues Impacting Children, Youth & Families” and granting around $25,000! We are always looking for new members to join us online or in person.

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