Tent-city residents give back by volunteering in community

For the past couple of months, a small, rotating crew of four to six has been raking leaves, cutting ivy and pulling down shrubs in yards in a residential neighborhood north of downtown Bellevue.

They look like most landscaping crews, except for two sidewalk signs propped nearby that read: "Tent City: Working in Your Community Creating Positive Results."

The crews are volunteers from Tent City 4, a camp with about 100 homeless residents that changes location every three months. Since late October, the camp has been in the parking lot of First United Methodist Church in Bellevue, where it will stay until late January.

Longtime local resident Richard Harris once was opposed to Tent City 4 showing up in his neighborhood. But the more he learned about the camp, the more he felt it was managed well, with rules, screenings for residents and security patrols. He wanted to change the minds of neighbors who were opposed to having the encampment in their neighborhood.

Harris, who is retired, decided the best way to increase awareness of Tent City 4 was to have the residents give back, and he approached the camp management about organizing the volunteer crews.

"They help people in the community in need," Harris said. "Everybody benefits."

The volunteers, who sign up weekly at a regular camp meeting, meet twice a week for 2 ½ hours and do yardwork for neighbors that Harris has tracked down. If he can't find specific tasks, they clean leaves off the streets. And instead of payment, Harris, who also provides tools, asks people to donate money to the church to benefit Tent City 4.

Tent-city residents typically do some work in whichever community they live, said Bruce Thomas, a resident camp adviser and Tent City 4 co-founder, but Harris has helped make it easier to find people who need help.

Resident Richard Mathias is one of the people who initially opposed Tent City 4 but has changed his mind.

Mathias, 72, said he was concerned that Tent City 4 residents would lurk in the park behind his home, but he hasn't seen anything different since the camp arrived. A volunteer crew also took care of chores like removing ivy from a dog pen and clearing his gutters.

Mathias said he realized they are just people. He has invited the crew into his home for coffee and cookies.

"I can't complain at all now," he said. "My initial fears were unfounded."

Being outdoors and working with other residents also helps volunteer Arnold Bell. It's therapeutic to talk and joke around while working and get his mind off his problems, said Bell, who moved to Seattle recently and does temporary day labor.

It improves Tent City 4's relationship with the community, he said.

"At the end of the day, you take a nice hot shower, relax and know you did something good with your day," he said.

Nicole Tsong: 206-464-2150 or ntsong@seattletimes.com