Stories. Each resident of Tent City 3 has one. Stories of bad luck, of tough times, of hardship.
Regardless, every story hopes to have a happy ending.
Tent City resident Danie O’Neil was illegally evicted from her apartment two years ago, she said. After living with family in California and another 18 months in Tent City, she and her husband have raised enough money to afford an apartment.
The problem is it’s tough to leave their new family at Tent City 3.
“We’re all like family here, and I’m the black sheep,” she laughed. “You grow a real bond with these people; there are people who get an apartment, and then they keep coming back to visit everybody.”
Tent City 3 has set up shop next to Prince of Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church on 20th Ave. in Shoreline since June 28, giving the near 100 residents a place to call home for the next 90 days.
“It’s always a challenge of meeting the space needs and so forth,” Tent City 3 resident Cheryl Haier said. “Then there’s aways the obstacle of community perceptions of what homelessness is about and the challenges that we may or may not bring to the community.”
Even with the need to move constantly throughout the year, the infrastructure within Tent City 3 runs a very tight ship, a sense of self-governing that really makes Tent City more of a, well, city.
“They are a very well-run organization,” Prince of Peace Pastor Pam Russell said. “They are very disciplined. They stick to their code of conduct, so it’s just been a pleasure; it’s like having house guests always on good behavior.”
According to residents of Tent City 3 and the Seattle Housing and Resource Effort and Women’s Housing Equality and Enhancement League (SHARE/WHEEL), members of Tent City are required to assist in operating in the camp through various tasks while at the same time, “behave like a lady or a gentleman while in camp.”
Tasks include everything from organizing to security, and while a member, everyone must abide by additional Tent City rules, including no alcohol, no drug use, no weapons and no public intoxication as well as maintain a clean living area.
Other requirements include community involvement and maintaining general courtesy around the surrounding neighborhood. Violations of Tent City 3 rules result in temporary removal for something such as being absent from posted security time or community events, or permanent removal for serious infractions, such as theft.
As a member of Tent City 3, SHARE/WHEEL provides blankets and tents, hot meals on most nights, bus tickets and valued privacy for couples. While they cannot ask anything from their host, that doesn’t mean the host cannot offer services.
Prince of Peace offers water and electricity, and several members of the community offer donations.
“We may say someone has a birthday coming up, and the church brings a cake,” Haier said.
There is no curfew, but a 9 p.m. quiet time is enforced.
“They can be really, really quiet most of the time,” Shoreline resident and Prince of Peace patron Londa Jacques said. “Sometimes I find myself tiptoeing to my car to not wake them up.”
In addition to abiding by Tent City 3 rules, anyone hoping to join must be checked through the King County Sex Offender database. Children are not allowed and pets are only allowed as assistance with proof of service.
A provision with Tent City 4 is required warrant checks, though Tent City 3 doesn’t require them, something that drew tension with Shoreline Police. While they were requested to do so, a court ruling allowed that provision to be removed.
“I think they’re doing about 90 percent of what they said they would do,” Shoreline Police Captain Kent Baxter said. “We don’t know if they’re really checking valid ID and we’d want to hold them to their word. Don’t get me wrong, though, we haven’t had any problems and they’ve been great in the community.”
Residents of Tent City 3 and Pastor Russell argue that with their presence, aspects of the community have improved.
“We do litterbusters around the area,” O’Neil said. “We clean up the litter that most people just throw around.”
While the patrons of Tent City 3 continue their search for a permanent settlement, they say they aim to follow the adage “always leave a place better than when you got there.”
“For some of us, we just think of it as a long camping trip,” Haier said.
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