coming into Tent City high or bringing in weapons, fighting, abuse of any kind, littering or disturbing neighbors. The residents also make rules and determine the direction of things in the camp at their regular Tuesday meetings.
The City of Seattle provides about two-thirds of the funding for Tent City 5, through funds allocated to the Seattle Low Income Housing Initiative, and passed through to SHARE. Apart from working closely with the local police, Charlie says Tent City has no direct contact with the city administration. Still, Charlie is positive about the City’s role.
“The City and the mayor wanted to do something and this is a good experiment,” he says. “I think it’s a worthy experiment because, to many people, this is the first chance they get to get socialized.”
For people who have been living on the streets in a state of hypervigilance, like a soldier waiting for the battle to begin, this is a safe place to begin interacting with other people without the cloud of fear. It can also be the first stop to finding help, from the monthly visit of the Public Health van, or obtaining referrals to social services and even housing. But, Charlie cautions, for many of the folks that come in to Tent City, just finding an apartment is not enough to solve their problems. He sees the supportive environment and structure that Tent City imposes on their lives as a necessary step for those who come here and stay.
“This is like a transition zone for some people,” he says. Without a transition zone of this sort, he fears many of the people he sees in Tent City 5 would not get the help they need to get off the streets.
Tent City, like other homeless encampments before, has been tarred with claims of a increase in crimes and vagrancy around them. But the residents deny that, and crime statistics from the Seattle Police Dept. bear that out. On the contrary, Charlie insists, having a place like Tent City 5 in the neighborhood cuts down on people sleeping in parks and alleys by giving them a place to go, and reduces crime and drug use, since those activities are not tolerated there and Tent City security patrols the vicinity to make sure.
Tent City 5 runs on donations, both of cash to SHARE and in-kind donations. Local church groups cook meals and the area food banks contribute food, but nonperishable food is always welcome, as are blankets. Tarps (“because we’re always going through them”), batteries of any size – since TC5 does not have electricity on site – and dry shoes, are especially high on their perennial wish list.
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