Tent City to stay

Published 12:27 pm Tuesday, November 26, 2013

It looks as though Tent City 4 will extend its stay in Sammamish to last through the holiday season.

At the Nov. 18 Sammamish city council meeting, members discussed the occupancy of Tent City at Mary Queen of Peace Church and asked the staff to come back on their Dec. 3 meeting with an ordinance that would allow extension requests to be made.

Tent City moved behind Mary Queen of Peace on Oct. 19 and was allowed a 60-day stay per the city ordinance. However, since day one they have had plans to ask for a 30-day extension. If approved, they will be able to stay at Mary Queen of Peace until Jan. 17.

“Every step of the way, there has been favorable support,” said Rev. Kevin Duggan, pastor at Mary Queen of Peace, who explained that when the process began, it became clear that if they didn’t host Tent City, the residents wouldn’t have anywhere to go. “We just couldn’t say no.”

Rev. Duggan said Tent City has caused no problems. In fact, it has been a great thing for the community. Rev. Duggan said the Skyline High School boys lacrosse team came the day Tent City moved in to help with set-up, and other community members have stepped forward to help out.

“It’s brought people together,” Rev. Duggan said.

Rev. Duggan explained that every time Tent City goes somewhere, there tends to be some resistance from some people and openness from others. But once people experience it, there are far less concerns.

“I would like to think, to some extent, it’s an educational experience,” he said. “It puts a human face on homelessness, so it becomes more than a statistic.”

Rev. Duggan said there are many reasons why people want to live in Tent City, from being in a community to having people look out for you. There is a strict code of conduct, meaning no drugs, weapons or violence, along with security, so it’s a much better option compared to fending for yourself on the street, Rev. Duggan said.

“Most of the people here have jobs and go to work,” he said. “The reason they are homeless is not because they are lazy. It’s because of circumstances.”

Christine Johnson, Tent City 4 executive committee member, said she has enough money to move out of Tent City, but she doesn’t want to.

“We’re a family,” she said. “I like to think they need me, just like I need them. We look out for each other.”

Council member Nancy Whitten said that giving Tent City an extension last minute would make for terrible precedent and bad law, and thinks they need to establish a thought-out ordinance that specifically deals with tent cities.

“If they need something on an emergency basis, I don’t know how we do it without bad precedent,” she said.

Kamuron Gurol, Sammamish director of community development, explained that the ordinance will not use the term “emergency.” Instead, they will be using a tool under the state law called interim zoning control, which allows the council to take action quickly when needed. Gurol said he has received at least six emails as well as two formal letters regarding the matter, and all of them are in support of the extension request.

One citizen expressed concern with the bigger issue — the number of people on the streets. He said that Sammamish does not offer enough low-income housing and that there are more people today without homes than compared to past years.

“Let’s be human beings and let these people stay through Christmas,” said Mayor Tom Odell.

Rev. Duggan said they have an inter-faith concert planned with another congregation and Tent City a week before Christmas. They are also planning a Christmas dinner and gift package for Tent City residents.

Johnson said they are very thankful to the church and the community.

“We want to say thank you to everyone that has been so supportive,” she said. “The church has been great, the community has been great. We are very thankful.”