50 tiny homes for U-District
A new tiny house village is expected to open sometime in May 2021 in Seattle’s University District. The village, Rosie’s Tiny House Village, will be at 1000 NE 45th Street and will provide shelter and case management for its occupants.
Single adults, couples and people with pets currently living unsheltered are eligible for a spot. The village is designed to act as an interim while permanent housing is being secured, and occupants will have access to on-site services, such as hot meals delivered daily.
Other services include 24-hour on-site staffing, employment support, health resources and a shared kitchen, bathrooms and showers.
The village is part of the Low Income Housing Institute and is funded in partnership with the City of Seattle in an effort to provide alternative safe housing for unsheltered people. LIHI is having a “community conversation,” which it is asking people to pre-register to attend, April 15 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
102 ‘vaccine breakthrough’ cases in Washington
The Washington State Department of Health is investigating reports that 102 Washingtonians have tested positive for COVID-19 more than two weeks after being fully vaccinated since Feb. 1, 2021.
The majority of people who experienced “vaccine breakthrough” had only mild symptoms; however, DOH reported 8 people were hospitalized. Two potential vaccine breakthrough deaths are currently under investigation. In both cases, the patients were over 80 years old and suffered underlying health issues.
It is unclear if factors like virus variants could have caused the infections. Scientists say vaccine breakthrough cases like these are expected with any vaccine.
As of April 6, 1.58 million people in Washington are fully vaccinated — or 20.8% of the state’s population.
DOH is encouraging people to get a
COVID-19 vaccine, as they are up to 95% effective against infection. The breakthrough cases are a reminder that even if a person has been vaccinated, it is still essential to utilize other barriers like mask-wearing, social distancing and hand-washing to prevent the spread.
Read more of the Apr. 7-13, 2021 issue.