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Tent City 3 could use a hand moving back to Capitol Hill

Tent City 3 is coming back to Capitol Hill and the roving homeless community could use some help with the move from Fremont:

On March 24th, Tent City 3 relocates to St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, on Capitol Hill, and anyone available to help with the move would be sincerely welcomed at Wallace Field at 8:30a on Saturday.


We also checked in with Tent City 3 as it began its Capitol Hill stay last spring:

Tent City Three is powered largely by donations, which you can bring to the entrance to drop off. Food that can be cooked in a microwave is best, as well as tents (new or used) and blankets. Also, they can never have enough hand sanitizer and duct tape.

“It’s a million dollar view,” one Tent City resident told us last year about the St. Mark’s encampment. The group often makes camp at 18th Ave E’s St. Joseph’s during the summer, also. For more information, visit www.sharewheel.org/Home/tent-cities

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Long Time Seattle
12 years ago

Is this really the best way to help the homeless? A tent city? Wouldn’t time and money be better spent on anything, anything at all, that helps people not live in a tent in a parking lot?

a
a
12 years ago

I also remember last time it was there the break ins in the Volunteer Park neighborhood were almost daily. I can’t wait.

pb
pb
12 years ago

Please note that some people prefer this way of life, the handouts are better than actually working. Some people don’t like having the trappings of what we consider normal.

Glasses
Glasses
12 years ago

So….SHARE (Seattle Housing And Resource Effort), the organization that runs the Tent Cities, has an extremely small operating budget for what it accomplishes- in addition to two tent cities (one in seattle, one in king county) also operate 15 indoor small shelters mostly in church basements providing a total of about 500 mats a night. This makes it the largest and cheapest shelter provider in King County, with a budget of about $850k. I work in low income housing myself, at the HOusing Authority and let me tell you…$850k isn’t going to do ANYTHING to change the systemic issues that fuel homelessness. The Housing Authority is expecting a $10 million deficit this coming fiscal year, and we’re one of the best in the nation. No one wants to live in a parking lot (I am always amazed at the prevalence of the ‘it’s a choice’ myth, and all the anecdotes people pull out of their asses)- but it’s better to do it together and safely than alone and without community. The idea that it’s okay for folks to be sleeping in doorways but not to come together and watch each other’s backs…it flabbergasts me. I could go on and probably will later, but let me tell you- it’s necessary and the system isn’t changing one bit without organization. And this, my friends, is organization. No one else is going to do it for them.

ohyes
12 years ago

pb,

If it is their preferred way of life that is less reason to help them by providing a tent city. It’s their choice so let them figure out how to deal with it.

Layla
12 years ago

Yes lets help those who will not help themselves.

Mike C
12 years ago

This is just as bad an idea now as it was years ago. There is vastly more low-income housing in the city than there was 10-15 years ago, yet we still hear the same excuses and the same propaganda. The people in “tent city” are not improving their lives nor moving toward housing. It’s a habit, a bad habit, not a solution. Just a rolling propaganda show for SHARE.

calhoun
12 years ago

I agree. Homeless people need to be moved as soon as possible into at least transitional housing, if not something more permanent such as the Seattle Housing Authority buildings. Does SHARE make any concerted effort towards this goal with the residents of Tent City?

King County has had a “ten year plan to end homelessness” in place for at least several years now, and lots of money is allocated for this effort, which is done jointly with larger cities. Yet, things like Tent City continue to exist….as long as such an option is available, there will be no real impetus for the residents to get their act together and secure permanent housing.

Russ
12 years ago

The only problem with low income housing, is that its really hard to qualify. For years I was making 26k a year, but unless I was married with children, I simply didnt qualify. They also dont appear to adjust for the rocketing inflation that occurred in the past 10 years.

8 years later, now that I am married, about to have a daughter, making 35k a year, I make too much to get a 2 bedroom apt.

politichick
12 years ago

As much as I support better social services, I don’t support tent city. I support real housing for All citizens. But I also have had very bad experience with previous encampments @ St Mark’s = namely I live 2 blocks from it on 10th Ave E & the crazy, drunk/drug fueled, sometimes dangerous & assualtive behavior, as well as night car prowls go Waaaay up when tent city is present. They don’t patrol two blocks from the encampment so they can’t prove its not their people, although it might be those turned away. A good arguement for proper housing not tent cities!