Homelessness & Poverty
Homeless Not Helpless

Tent Cities

  1. Why do we need a Tent City?
  2. Who uses Tent City?
  3. How does Tent City operate?
  4. Where does Tent City get tents, blankets, food, and other necessities?
  5. How can people live in Tent City during the winter?
  6. Does Tent City legitimize substandard housing?
  7. Do efforts to develop Tent City slow efforts to develop indoor shelter and affordable housing?
  8. What is the impact of Tent City on a neighborhood?
  9. Why don't the residents of Tent City use an abandoned building instead?
  10. Why doesn't Tent City use public land, like the Jungle, instead of private land in a residential neighborhood?
  11. Is Tent City legal?
  12. Is the City of Seattle continuing to threaten hosts and fine them?
  13. Whom should I contact to express support for Tent City?
  14. Whom should I contact if I have problems with Tent City?
  15. Where is Tent City now?
  16. Will there be more Tent Cities?
  17. Do we want to have Tent Cities forever?
  18. What is the history of Tent Cities elsewhere?
  19. How can I help Tent City?

Q. Why do we need a Tent City?

There are approximately 6,000 people homeless in the City of Seattle each night. Homeless people and advocates tend to put that figure higher; city officials tend to put it lower. 6,000 is a number that most people can agree on.

By the most generous estimate, counting all shelter beds, emergency mats on the floor, transitional housing units, the motel vouchers that DSHS provides for homeless families, and the few respite beds for people mildly ill or recovering from surgery — there are 4,000 places provided for homeless people to sleep each night.

Some of the 2,000 remaining people are "squatting" in abandoned buildings. Some live in their cars. On any particular night, some may have found a temporary friend to stay with.

But hundreds of people — including women and children — are sleeping outdoors. Every night.

It is illegal to sleep in parks or on other public land. It is dangerous to sleep on the streets or in alleys.

When people can camp together, they can put together more resources, like Porta-Potties, handwashing stations, food and coffee; support each other; watch out for each other's safety and possessions. Those who work can safely leave their belongings in camp and know that they will be there when they come back.

We believe Seattle must officially recognize and set standards for the operation of homeless camps until there is enough housing for everyone, and enough shelter for emergency needs.

Tent Cities are legal. The King County Court of Appeals said on September 27, 2001, that "tents are obviously habitations" and that the use of tents is not in itself sufficient reason for declaring a zoning violation or refusing to grant a land use permit. In March of 2002, the Seattle City Attorney's office signed an agreement with SHARE recognizing the legality of Tent City and setting standards for its operation similar to those that SHARE has been practicing.

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Q. Who uses Tent City?

About a third of the residents of Tent Village are couples or families. (There are no shelters where couples without children can sleep together, and a limited number of shelters where families can stay together.)

There are another dozen or so single women. (Many of the women at Tent Village feel safer in the tents than in shelters. Other comments: there's more privacy, and better ventilation.)

At least half of the residents are working full-time, and many of the rest are working part time or in an educational program.

The residents are a celebration of diversity in age, race, creed, cultural background, and sexual preference. No abuse or derogatory language is tolerated.

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Q. How does Tent City operate?

Our proposal for an Emergency Encampment Civility Code includes a copy of the standard rules for a camp. At times, adapting to a particular neighborhood or host may require special rules.

A short summary of the rules is:

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Q. Where does Tent City get tents, blankets, food, and other necessities?

SHARE/WHEEL pays approximately $4,000 a month to operate Tent Village. This includes the drainage of the Sani-Cans three times a week, trash removal, the purchase of and delivery of supplies, provision of bus tickets, and moving expenses.

We are grateful to our many donors and supporters! Many tents, blankets, and other supplies, including food and clothing, have been donated. The University Methodist Temple's Friday Feast brings a hot meal to Tent City every Friday night, and Food Not Bombs brings a hot meal out to Tent City every Sunday night. Many other groups and individuals provide meals and ready-to-go-food on an occasional basis.

Seattle service providers have met with Tent Villagers to find out what services they need and who they are willing to have visit the tents.

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Q. How can people live in Tent City during the winter?

It isn't great living in a tent during the winter. But the alternative for the folks at Tent City isn't living in a tent camp or living inside. The alternative is living in the tents or living under a bridge, behind a bush, on top of a cardboard box in a doorway or alley — isolated and at risk.

Many people have donated insulating platforms and taps, extra blankets and clothes, and other winterizing material for Tent City. And the residents will be looking out for each other.

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Q. Does Tent City legitimize substandard housing?

Are we legitimizing sleeping in doorways and dying under bridges? That's the alternative to tent camps.

SHARE/WHEEL is one of the largest single adult shelter facilitators in Seattle. We are constantly involved in creating new shelters. We have been instrumental in creating transitional shelter and affordable housing. We are working all across the spectrum of need — from immediate survival to permanent stability.

No one individual stays in the camp forever; people move on to better options. And other people in need move in, to stay safe and warm until they, too, can find better options. The average length of stay at Tent City is about six weeks.

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Q. Do efforts to develop Tent City slow efforts to develop indoor shelter and affordable housing?

Far from it. Every time we put up a Tent City, there is a development burst of new shelter, housing and services.

After all, what is more motivating: invisible homeless people, or visible homeless people?

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Q. What is the impact of Tent City on a neighborhood?

DCLU received over 300 letters of support for the Tent Village 6-month Temporary Use Permit in 2000 when we were at El Centro de la Raza on Beacon Hill. 26 of those letters came from immediate neighbors. To protect their own reputation, and to continue to be a positive addition to our neighborhoods, Tent City members do regular litter cleanups, and discourage any illegal activity in the neighborhood -- not just on the Tent City grounds -- such as aggressive panhandling and public drinking.

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Q. Why don't the residents of Tent City use an abandoned building instead?

SHARE/WHEEL does develop many other kinds of shelter, including a Bunkhouse, which was basically an abandoned building that we renovated. The Bunkhouse, however, took a lot of time and effort to open.

The reason that we advocate for Tent Cities is that homelessness is an emergency, and tents are an emergency response. They can be moved and put up quickly. This is why tent cities are often raised by the Red Cross or other groups in response to any other emergency that leaves hundreds of people homeless, such as a flood or an earthquake.

The process of using an abandoned building for shelter is as long and complex as opening any other kind of indoors shelter. Buildings apparently empty and unused aren't always abandoned. They usually have an owner who intends eventual development or sale, and is not always willing to let homeless people use the property in the meantime. Even if the building is actually abandoned, obtaining clear legal use of the building usually means paying somebody something, if only paying back taxes. To be a legal shelter, the building would have to be made structurally sound, cleaned, provided with heat and running water and enough toilets for the number of people staying there. It also has to be insured.

Neighbors who oppose a Tent City will still often oppose a more traditional shelter. Neighbors are the major factor in whether or not a building can be used. SHARE used a vacant building in Pioneer Square, owned by King County, for shelter for awhile. When SHARE attempted to move back to the space a couple of years later, they were blocked by the Pioneer Square Council. On the other hand, the neighbors were supportive when the no-longer-operating Aloha Inn was purchased and made over into a transitional housing program.

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Q. Why doesn't Tent City use public land instead of private land in a residential neighborhood?

The City does not give us permission to camp on public land. Private land-owners have.

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Q. Is Tent City legal?

Tent City is not illegal. There is no provision in the zoning law for a tent city; however, every time an "illegal camping" case has been brought to court, in Seattle or elsewhere, it has been thrown out on the grounds that the preservation of human life is a higher priority than zoning laws. Surviving cannot be made illegal.

Until a city has enough indoor shelter for everyone, judges are reluctant to convict a homeless person for sleeping outside. City officials are torn between not wanting to grant official approval to a tent city and not wanting to make life any harder for homeless people. The City's original solution to this dilemma was to wait until a neighbor lodged a complaint about Tent City, then levy a two-week notice to vacate, with the possibility of being arrested if on public land, or fines levied against the owner if on private land. In the past, however, the City has construed a question about what was happening as a complaint.

SHARE/WHEEL's Tent City applied for a six-month permit in 2000, when we were staying at Beacon Hill's El Centro de la Raza. After a four-month review period, during which time public comment was overwhelmingly supportive, the Department of Construction and Land Use (DCLU) denied our permit application. Four months later, the City Hearing Examiner ruled that although Tent City was not materially detrimental to persons or property, it was not in "the spirit of the Land Use Code." We then appealed to King County Superior Court. On September 27, 2001, the court said that DCLU should have granted the permit. In March of 2002, the Seattle City Attorney's office signed an agreement with SHARE recognizing the legality of Tent City and setting standards for its operation similar to those that SHARE has been practicing. (This included dismissing all fines against El Centro de le Raza.)

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Q. Is the City of Seattle continuing to threaten hosts and fine them?

No. The agreement signed between SHARE/WHEEL and the Seattle City Attorney's office in March of 2002 recognizes the legality of Tent City.

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Q. Whom should I contact to express support for Tent City?

Letters to the Mayor's Office are always helpful. The agreement with the City Attorney was to work toward a permanent location for Tent City, with electricity and running water for hygiene facilities. The City yet has to act toward this goal.


Mayor Greg Nickels
600 Fourth Avenue
Seattle WA 98104

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Q. Whom should I contact if I have problems with Tent City?

If you have any problems with or complaints about Tent City or any resident, call SHARE/WHEEL at (206) 448-7889. Write us at PO Box 2548, Seattle WA 98111.

We have made a commitment everywhere we operate a shelter, including Tent City: if a pattern of problems disrupts the neighborhood, and cannot be resolved, we will move.

For twelve years we have been honorable in keeping that commitment. Please be honorable with us. Make any complaints to us directly, and give us an opportunity to resolve them.

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Q. Where is Tent City now?

Through January 15, 2003, Tent City is at the Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church in Seattle. Phinney Ridge Lutheran FAQ on Tent City

The last location was Highline United Methodist Church, 13015 First Ave. S. in Burien. In the news

On Martin Luther King Day, 2003, we will be moving back to El Centro de la Raza, on Beacon Hill, for a three month stay.

If you are willing to host Tent City in the future, or know someone who is, please call SHARE/WHEEL at (206) 449-7889.

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Q. Will there be more Tent Cities?

We do hope that the legal agreement with Seattle, as well as the court decision on our six-month Temporary Use Permit at El Centro, will set a precedent for the legalization of homeless camps under the regulation of required standards of behavior and neighborhood relations, as outlined in our proposed guidelines. We believe that tents are an essential means of survival for hundreds of people.

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Q. Do we want to have Tent Cities forever?

No. We look forward to the day that there will be 100% housing and shelter for every child, woman and man in Seattle: "a pillow under every head and a roof over every bed." (Reneene Robertson, November 15, 2000)

Then there need be no more Tent Cities.

Providing shelter and housing for the people currently staying in one tent city is not enough. Until there is shelter and housing for everyone, there will be people willing to stay out in the tents to keep the village together for those who need it for survival.

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Q. What is the history of Tent Cities elsewhere?

There have been successful tent cities and unsuccessful ones in other cities. The successful ones have been self-managed. One example is Portland, Oregon's Camp Dignity.

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Q. How can I help Tent City?

Again, we thank our many donors and supporters. Tent City would not have come this far without you.

Our current needs include:

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SHARE: Seattle Housing and Resource Effort
WHEEL: Women's Housing Equality and Enhancement League