Living in a tent carries a plethora of challenges on a sunny day. Add freezing rain, chilly wind, and an icy layer of snow and most people ditch the thought faster than they can shout, “snow-pocalypse!”
However, for the residents of Tent City 4, who moved onto the parking lot of Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Kirkland on Saturday, the rows of tents are a symbol of security, family, and new beginnings.
The homeless community has occupied church property on the Eastside for nearly eight years, and serves as a safe transitional home for those who want to stay off the streets and pursue a more stable life.
The Seattle Conservation Corp phone screen will take place on Tuesday, 1/31/12 at 8 AM. Candidates must call (206) 684-0190 at 8:00 AM. If they receive a busy signal they should continue to call. Please advise clients to not leave a message. It would be wise to advise candidates to prepare to be on hold for 20 to 25 minutes. Also candidates can increase their chances of being screened by calling on a phone that has a redial button. SCC will interview until their schedules will not allow them to continue to screen. Those candidates chosen will be asked to come in for a face-to-face interview. If both interviews are successful, the caller will become a Candidate-For-Enrollment. All potential enrollees that are considered Candidates-For-enrollment will be given a date for a physical and the date of the first day of enrollment, or they will be placed in a pool with other candidates that will be given an enrollment date in the near future.
To be considered for participation callers must be able to document their homelessness (i.e. living in a shelter, transitional housing, or treatment facility), and present a Social Security Card and a State I.D.
Tent City 4 moves from the Community Church of Issaquah, 205 Mountain Park Blvd. SW, Issaquah 98027 to Holy Spirit Lutheran church, 10021 NE 124th St Kirkland on January 21st.
The wish list is pretty short this week. They need coffee, creamer, sugar, paper bowls, paper plates, and paper cups. They also have needs to prepare and make the move:
We are looking for a few drivers who could take Tent City 4 campers from Issaquah to Qwest Field in the AM (between 8 & 9 AM) and/or bring people back between 2 & 3 PM this Friday, January 13. This is an opportunity for them to access a variety of services.
Last year, United Way’s Community Resource Exchange connected 1,800 people experiencing homelessness with the services they needed—all in one place, on one day.
Our next Community Resource Exchange will take place at CenturyLink Field (formerly Qwest Field) Friday, Jan. 13, 2012. The event connects homeless individuals and families with the services they need all in one place, in one day—with everything from housing, employment and legal assistance to free health services, haircuts, and voicemail accounts. For more information
CenturyLink Field (formerly Qwest Field)
800 Occidental Avenue South
Seattle, Washington 98134 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Move Day (January 21) is almost upon us! Medical Day (January 14) is next weekend!
FOR MEDICAL DAY Angela Wood is the organizer (wood.angela@gmail.com). She is still looking for medical supplies (gloves, bandages, tongue depressors, cleaning supplies, etc.) and additional volunteer staff for that day. We could use a few volunteer receptionists/ hospitality people as well. Please contact her directly if you can help or know of a source of supplies.
They do not have an eye care specialist signed up, but suggested that we help residents who need those services to get to the United Way Community Resource Exchange which will take place at CenturyLink Field (formerly Qwest Field) Friday, Jan. 13, 2012. The event connects homeless individuals and families with the services they need all in one place, in one day—with everything from housing, employment and legal assistance to free health services, haircuts, and voicemail accounts. CenturyLink Field (aka Qwest Field) 800 Occidental Avenue South, Seattle, Washington 98134 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.–
MOVE DAY supplies are being requested. The hosting committee is buying 50 new sheets of plywood, but the camp could also use some new pallets. Let Elizabeth Maupin (elimapin@gmail.com) or Steve Burk (TC4meals@gmail.com) know if you have a source of supply — or a means of transporting them to the new site at Holy Spirit Lutheran in Kirkland.
The top two immediate needs are for de-icer (for the parking lot and that slippery sidewalk down to the bus), and toilet paper (– in cold season, it doubles as tissue for sneezers).
At our meeting this Wednesday night we learned of another Very Crucial, if less immediate, need. The Tent City 4 mobile shower unit is leaking. This original shower was built by Dennis Sloan and others at TC4 and lifted by hand onto moving trucks. They can no longer get tires in the size used on the trailer, and it is just and old axle and truck bed frame, we were told. It needs some major repairs. John McGuire says it will cost at least $1,000 to repair it: replace the CPVC pipes with PEX plumbing which won’t break as easily in freezing weather, replace the current 2-piece shower with a one piece version, expand the shell, and up-grade to marine grade plywood that won’t rot out so easily. He estimates that it would be a five day job beginning on January 16. That means that for 5 days, the campers would have no showers or sinks. The hosting committee is investigating what it might cost to build a new shower trailer for the camp.
For the new shower trailer, it would be nice if we could make it larger inside and with a larger stall, and with a lower and newer type trailer. We have some funds on hand, and although we don’t know yet what this project will cost or what the utilities will run for this hosting, we are considering setting some money aside for this project.
Anyone who thinks they might have skills or contacts that would be useful in the design and construction of a replacement shower trailer is invited to contact John McGuire at 425-208-1816. It really is a “One of a Kind” item, since most showers are designed to be used inside heated buildings. This one has to withstand exposure to freezing temperatures and be, for the most part, amenable to repair by amateur fix-it folk.
Via Kirkland Views By Rob Butcher: The City of Kirkland has received a temporary use permit (TUP) application from SHARE/WHEEL and Holy Spirit Lutheran Church to relocate the homeless encampment known as Tent City 4 (TC4) to church property beginning Saturday, January 21, 2012. As part of the application process, the Church, as host to TC4, will hold a public informational meeting. The meeting is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, January 5 at 7 p.m. at the church located at 10021 NE 124th Street. City representatives will be present to answer permitting and public safety questions.
The City will mail residents and property owners within 500 feet of the church property the notice of the application and the notice of the decision of the City’s Planning Director regarding the permit application. City zoning regulations provide for temporary uses of land, including homeless encampments, when certain standards are met. If approved, the encampment may locate within the City for no more than 92 days. The City may not grant a TUP at the same location more than once in a 365-day period. Holy Spirit Lutheran Church has hosted TC4 two times since early 2007.
In 2006, the City adopted zoning regulations specific to homeless encampments which require, among other standards, sight-obscuring perimeter fencing (unless the Planning Director determines there is sufficient vegetation, topographic variation or other site condition such that fencing would not be needed), setbacks from adjoining residential properties and transit service to be located within one-half mile. Additionally, a code of conduct must be imposed on encampment residents, public health inspections must be allowed, and the maximum number of residents is 100. The zoning regulations provide for an administrative review by the Planning Director per the Kirkland Municipal Code.
UPDATE 12/8 – The two dates mentioned below have been taken. Please take a look at the calendar for January – there are a couple of days still open and February is filling up fast. Thanks!
If you wanted to cook a meal for Tent City 4 while they are here in Issaquah, but haven’t gotten on the calendar, there are two dates still open: December 26 and 31.
Earle Jones and Elizabeth Maupin will coordinate the meal for December 31. They need six or seven volunteers to join them in providing dinner. Elizabeth believes there will be a special musical treat that night in the form of karaoke.
Tent City4 is now located at the Community Church of Issaquah; 205 Mt. Park Blvd SW, Issaquah, WA 98027. Here are their current needs. Asterisk indicates those things that they are currently OUT of at this time.
Thank you for your continued support of Tent City 4. Looks like we have fulfilled the request for a coffee maker! Yea! Here is a wish list for some additional support. Donations can be dropped off at the camp anytime.
Dear Tent City supporters,
Thank you for your continued support of Tent City 4. Looks like we have fulfilled the request for a coffee maker! Yea! Here is a wish list for some additional support. Donations can be dropped off at the camp anytime.
