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In the military, "Tent City" is a blanket term used to describe the temporary living quarters erected on deployed military bases, such as those found in Bosnia or Iraq . Depending on the branch of service and the length the tent city has been in place, the living space may be equipped with most modern amenities. For sanitary reasons, military tent cities remove toilet, shower, and laundry facilities at least 50 feet (15m) from living quarters. Also, tents are usually divided into clusters of 8-10 to prevent the rapid spread of fire, which is of utmost concern because of the tent and bedding materials.


TENT CITY SEATTLE

Homeless people have long resorted to seeking shelter in Tent groups, but these communities are one of the first known to be organized by a sponsoring organization (a partnership between the Seattle Housing and Resource Effort and Women's Housing Equality and Enhancement League, often referred to by the combined acronym SHARE/WHEEL), and, even more notably, are one of the first in a major U.S. city to be largely accepted by local governments. Contrary to some stereotypes regarding the homeless, many residents of Tent City are employed, mostly in temporary or day labor jobs, but have insufficient income to obtain more permanent housing.

The original Tent City and Tent City 2, both created in the late 1990s , were created illegally and opposed by the City of Seattle. After being tolerated for some time, they were eventually forced to be shut down. In March of 2002 , as a result of a legal battle, city attorney Mark Sidran signed a court ordered Consent Decree with SHARE, allowing Tent City only on private land (by invitation) and setting standards for its operation.

Based on the consent decree Tent City 3 was created and rotates around the Metro Seattle Core. Tent City 4 was created in May of 2004 as an attempt to expand beyond the consent decree and use Publiclly owned land and resources, something the consent decree does not allow. This attempt was unsuccessful and Tent City 4 has been existing in eastern King County as a church sponsored activity since.

Tent City rules do not allow Drug or Alcohol use, and evict anyone caught Steal ing or committing other crimes. Stays for Tent City 3 have been around 3 weeks on average while Tent City 4 has had stays as long as 100 days. Cities adopting code amendments have been limiting stays to 60-90 days.

Tent City 3 has existed largely without opposition in the Seattle Core as increases in crime have been difficult to track. The City of Shoreline surveyed the community after hosting Tent City 3 and issued a report indicating that most of the crime that occurred did not result in a police call.


TENT CITY 4

Tent City 4 is a homeless encampment of up to 100 people created in May of 2004 and limits itself to eastern King County outside of Seattle. Minors are not allowed in Tent City 4, although there is a provision for emergency situations. Campers may have their own tents or single men or women may stay in community tents separate from each other to make people feel safer. Portable Toilet s and Dumpster s are provided to address sanitation concerns. As of August 2004 a portable shower has been constructed for the camp. To address safety concerns, there is only one entry/exit to the camp, which is guarded at all times.

Because Tent City 4 established itself without permits or public process it has faced opposition in most communities is moves to. This opposition, fueled by reported increases in crime in the areas hosting Tent City 4, has resulted in the suburban cities working on creating code amendments for permitting that attempt balance the desires of churches choosing to host the encampments and community desires for rules that address their public safety and welfare concerns.

These rules are evolving as the issue works its way through commissions, city councils and the court system.


History


;May 2004: , noting, among other things, that it was too close to an Environmentally sensitive area. St. Brendans Catholic Church in Bothell invited TC4 to property near the church.

;August 2004: Northshore Church of Christ in Woodinville invites Tent City 4 to relocate to its property. In response to public complaints, the Woodinville City council proposed moving to a different site, an undeveloped plot of park property, for 40 days while they pursued permits to stay for an additional 60 days. The site was seen as preferable due to its location in an industrial, rather than residential, area.

;November 2004: Tent City 4 moves to St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Finn Hill near Kirkland .

; February 2005: Tent City 4 moves to Kirkland Congregational Church.

; May 2005: Move to Lake Washington United Methodist Church.

; August 2005: Move to Woodinville Unitarian Universalist Church.

; November 2005: Move to Temple B'nai Torah in Bellevue's Crossroads area.

Under its new permitting process Tent City 4 was limited by the City of Bellevue to 40 campers and 60 days. These limits were a result of the resources the Temple had available and has resulted in the Church and SHARE filing a lawsuit against the City of Bellevue to challenge the rules. The parties negotiated a consent decree where TC4 and its supporters acknowledge that Bellevue was within its rights to adopt these code changes in exchange for allowing TC4 to stay 90 days at the Temple and St Lukes sites in Bellevue and agreeing not to return to the city for one year.

; February 2006: Move to St. Lukes Lutheran Church in Bellevue's North Towne community.


Controversy over Tent City 4

After Tent City 4 found its first home in Bothell, another lawsuit was filed and intense negotiations took place over certain issues related to the camp. Central to the issue was the proximity to four schools and the resulting financial damage they incurred. The main sticking points include the city of Bothell's desire to require the encampment's residents to provide identification for Warrant checks, and the church to either hire private security or pay overtime to the Bothell Police, and to provide liability Insurance of at least $1 million. A judge at a hearing about the issue refused to order these conditions, but they may be part of permit requirements once they've been finalized, and ordered Share/Wheel to obtain permits for their Encampments.

As a result of public pressure King County Council member Carolyn Edmonds proposed a citizens' commission be formed to study the siting issues, but King County Council member Kathy Lambert insisted that they must first determine if tent cities are even needed and offered amendments to rewrite the ordinance. On June 1, 2004, the council voted to create the King County Citizens' Advisory Commission on Homelessness and Encampments to recommend policies and guidelines for dealing with homelessness.

Executive Sims added five members to the commission and filled them with Homeless advocates. As a result no real work was done by the commission and that caused the report representing the views of special interest groups and not the citizens as intended. This required that a dissenting report also be submitted.
Information on the Commission work can be found at: CACHE

An article in The Woodinville Weekly quotes Tent City 4 residents who criticise SHARE/WHEEL'S operation of the encampments, alleging that some expensive, high technology donations have been sold at auction to raise funds.

The King County Council heard public testimony on this new legislation was moved before, and passed by, the council without advance public notice or ability to review and comment by the public. As a result King County has eliminated the ability for public input and Tent Cities can now be created in unincorporated King County without a permit.

In a last minute move to secure enough votes for passage this issue was set to be revisted after one year and the new, nine member, King County Council will address it in spring of 2006 . Changes to bring County code in line with those of the suburban cites is being drafted.


SEE ALSO



"TENT CITY": MARICOPA COUNTY JAIL MODIFICATION, PHOENIX, AZ.

This "Tent City" is a modification of the Maricopa County Jail conducted by Sheriff Joe Arpaio upon election to this office. People there are, as in any other county jail, either awaiting trial or are serving short sentences, only that the place is a series of large tents.
It was built to ease overcrowding. As this County Jail is overcrowded, more tents are placed.
There ''is'' a large lighted sign there that says Vacancy at this location.


TENT CITY, TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA

Toronto , Canada's largest city, was also home to its own "Tent City" until September 2002, when the residents of Tent City were evicted by the owner of the property, Home Depot . It was situated in the downtown core of Toronto, near the waterfront, and was home to hundreds of people who were homeless. Many of the residents built their own shelters or brought tents and some were even able to have certain luxuries like computers and television by tapping into the city's powergrid illegally. Many critics, including some citizens of Tent City, noted that many people in Tent City were drug users who ''chose'' to live there because they could spend their money exclusively on drugs. Some residents resorted to prostitution to supplement their income and support their habits.

Tent City was mainly self-governed, as police would not usually enter it unless there was a major crime. One of the oldest residents of Tent City became the appointed "Mayor" and oversaw the operation of the city. Of course, there were still crimes being committed - for instance, one resident who was leaving Tent City sold his shelter twice, making a profit for himself and leaving the buyers to resolve their differences on their own. Also, there were citizens who committed theft in order to make money. However, there were some residents who felt safer in Tent City than in the city run shelters, choosing to live in a self-regulated area because they could defend themselves.

When Tent City was closed, Home Depot, the owners of the property, evicted the residents with private security guards. After their initial eviction, the residents were allowed to return to their homes to retrieve their possessions before being permanently evicted. This action was criticized by activist groups as an attempt by Home Deport to clear land to develop a downtown big box Home Depot outlet. After the eviction, the residents were dispersed and forced to find new areas downtown where they could live or to move into shelters. As of the end of 2005, the land remains undeveloped, and Home Deport opened a downtown outlet at Gerrard Square , a mall that sits on the corner of Pape and Gerrard.

Of note is Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall , a writer who abandoned his own life to live in Tent City for a year. He received very little outside assistance and resorted to Panhandling in order to sustain himself. He detailed his experiences in a book, listed in the link below.

Information on the closure of Tent City

Information on ''Down to This: Squalor and Splendour in a Big-city Shantytown'' by Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall, a writer who lived in Tent City for a year before its closure.


EXTERNAL LINKS