Report calls tent cities a King County necessity

By Leslie Fulbright
Seattle Times Eastside bureau

BRIAN CASSELLA / THE SEATTLE TIMES A citizens panel says tent cities, such as this one, should not be a permanent solution to homelessness, and faults the county for not adequately addressing the problem and for its lack of emergency shelters or affordable housing.

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Thirteen members of the Citizens' Advisory Commission on Homeless Encampments (CACHE) voted that the encampments are needed but made clear that is only because King County has not done a good job of addressing and ending its homeless problem. Four voted that the camps are unnecessary.

The commission was created in June to conduct a needs assessment for tent cities and to suggest guidelines for county decision making. The 22 voting and nonvoting panel members represent each of the County Council's 13 districts, as well as church groups, social-service agencies, government, business, suburban cities and law enforcement.

The main message in the report was that tent cities do not offer a permanent solution. Those who supported the camps requested they be phased out when there is no longer a need and said in the meantime they should get careful management and oversight.

A majority of the commission members agreed the encampments should be allowed on both public and private land. Most said there should be an opportunity for public comment if the encampments are on public land.

King County should specify parcels that could potentially be used for encampments and they should be no less than 25 miles apart, they said.

The group unanimously agreed that any organization that sponsored a tent city should notify the local government and community about when the encampment will begin, how long it will stay, how many people will be allowed to live there, the location and the date and time of community meetings.

Most members agreed that anyone living within two blocks of a public site should receive 14 to 30 days notice of an encampment.

The commission agreed there should be no more than 100 residents at an encampment and that there should be suitable buffers from surrounding properties. How parking and the environment would be affected must be considered, the report said, and an encampment should not stay at one location longer than three months at one time or six months within two years.

Members agreed there are not enough emergency shelters or affordable housing for the estimated 3,400 homeless people each night in King County.

"Even a working couple earning $7.50 an hour can't afford the average rent for a one-bedroom in King County," the report states, citing a United Way report.
 
The commission made its recommendations after seven meetings, two open to the public, and after hearing testimony from dozens of tent-city residents, neighbors, advocates and opponents.

The commission said it did not have time to come up with specific long-term solutions but praised the number of local programs working on the problem of homelessness.

County Executive Ron Sims announced in April that Tent City 4 would open on county-owned land near Interstate 405 in Bothell and was greeted with public outcry. Metropolitan King County Council members expressed concerns over the legality of the Brickyard Road Park & Ride site, which is set aside for transit projects.

Tent City 4 opened instead at St. Brendan Catholic Church. It stayed 90 days and is set to move to city-owned property in Woodinville today.

The ordinance that created CACHE prohibits the county from identifying county-owned land for a tent city before Sept. 15.

Leslie Fulbright: 206-515-5637 or lfulbright@seattletimes.com