Bellevue likely to keep hosting tent city

Tent City 4 may stay in Bellevue for quite a while.

The homeless camp, currently at Temple B'nai Torah in the Crossroads area, will likely accept invitations from St. Luke's Lutheran Church and the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection to stay in the city as late as August, camp leaders said.

Other Bellevue churches also are interested in hosting, which could extend the camp's stay even longer, according to religious leaders.

Any tent city host would be required to get a city land-use permit, but officials don't appear to object to an extended stay in the city.

"We certainly wouldn't have any objection to another [host] filing an application with the city," said city spokesman Tim Waters.

Still, length of stay likely will be an issue for each church. The temple and Seattle Housing and Resource Effort (SHARE), which runs Tent City 4, sued the city last month, claiming its limits on length of stay and number of people allowed violate the temple's religious freedoms.

Bellevue restricts the camp's stay at each host location to 60 days. The temple wants a 90-day limit, like the camp's stays at other Eastside locations.

Attorneys for the city and temple discussed the case Tuesday before U.S. District Judge John Coughenour. The temple offered to go into mediation, but the city had some conditions, said Chuck Wolfe, temple attorney.

City officials declined to comment on the mediation issue, but said they do want the length-of-stay issue resolved before the 60-day limit kicks in, while the temple prefers a more-extended timeline. The judge is expected to announce a schedule for the case this week.

The Church Council of Greater Seattle and the Washington Association of Churches plan to ask the judge this week to become parties in the lawsuit, supporting the temple, said Sandy Brown, executive director of the church council.

"We're a welcoming, hospitable congregation, and it's imperative in the Gospel [to help the poor]," said Peter Kalunian, rector at the Church of the Resurrection.

Both churches are assuming a 90-day limit will be in place, with St. Luke's offering to host the camp from mid-February to mid-May and the Episcopal church from mid-May until mid-August. St. Luke's is at 3030 Bellevue Way N.E., and the Church of the Resurrection is at 15220 Main St., a few blocks from the temple.

Tent City 4 moved to the temple Nov. 16, and the 60-day limit would end in mid-January.

Bellevue might not be the only city where length of stay becomes an issue. The Bothell City Council will consider a 60-day limit for homeless camps at its meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, 10116 N.E. 183rd St., Bothell.

Ashley Bach: 206-464-2567 or abach@seattletimes.com