Billionaire Donates $1M for Homeless Housing in Seattle

SEATTLE (AP) — Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is donating $1 million to help a Seattle nonprofit build a new community for homeless people using steel modules.

The Seattle Times reports Compass Housing Alliance plans to construct 13 units that come equipped with their own restrooms. A representative of Allen's Vulcan Philanthropy organization, Paul Butler, says the community of units will be the first in the U.S. built with steel modules.

Janet Pope with Compass says the modules will be cheaper than traditional construction and more comfortable for residents than tents and tiny wooden houses, which are popular among other Seattle homeless encampments.

Residents will have access to on-site support services as well as a communal kitchen and laundry facilities.

The community is slated to open in December in Seattle's Columbia City neighborhood.

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