Everett-based Pallet will be ending its operations. This is the builder behind Seattle’s new shelter, which opened less than three months ago. It was also celebrated by Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson.
The company produced the 75 individual units at the Bayside Enhanced Shelter in the Interbay neighborhood, the first tiny home village built under Wilson’s homelessness initiative.
In its official statement, Pallet expressed that it is shutting down after being in operation for nine years. It noted that the growing and complex needs of the community and shifting political priorities were part of the reasons for the agency’s sudden shutdown.
The company also pointed to changes in funding environments and said communities now understand the challenge differently than they did in 2017.
Pallet stated that it is not abandoning its mission by ending operations. The company reflected on its history and the impact it has made over the years, which will leave a lasting footprint as time goes on.
By its own count, it put up more than 100 transitional villages across North America, supplying over 6,000 beds and serving an estimated 30,000 people.
Amy and Brady King founded the social purpose corporation in 2017, building on their background in general contracting. Their shelters were assembled on site from prefabricated insulated panels, a job that took under an hour and required no specialized tools, and the units included climate control, lockable doors, and hard surfaces that could be cleaned between residents.
The company raised more than $18 million in venture and impact funding, including a $15 million Series A round in 2022.
The closure does not shut the Interbay site, but it does leave operators of Pallet villages without the manufacturer that supplied them. The company has said that as it winds down it cannot guarantee inspections, repairs, replacement parts, reimbursement, or other warranty service, so site operators will have to handle maintenance and source components on their own.
Sharon Lee, executive director of the Low Income Housing Institute, which runs tiny home villages around the region, said the closure took her by surprise.
The timing complicates a central piece of Wilson’s agenda. The mayor has pledged to add 1,000 units of shelter and emergency housing in Seattle, and roughly 269 beds have been opened or announced so far. Pallet had signaled interest in building more villages in the city but ceased operations before starting any of them.
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