The SunBreak » tent city

City Council to Nickelsville: Stop Being Homeless by Sept. 1 or Face Eviction

Michael van Baker — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:58:58 +0000

"No one wants simply to displace campers," goes the letter, whose sole clearly articulated objective is to displace campers. Otherwise, it refers to emergency shelters (which for many of the campers, homeless for years and proud of their limited possessions, would be step backwards) and permanent housing, of which there is too little available to accommodate Nickelsville residents, even if they were granted priority.

Op-Ed: City Council Has Nickelsville’s Rat-Infested Floodwater on Its Hands

Michael van Baker — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 19:34:23 +0000

"I don't think we should accept the idea that people are doomed to be homeless and live in tents," Conlin had told Publicola in November 2010. In October 2011, the Council passed legislation making it easier for religious groups to host tent cities for longer periods of time.

City Council Unveils Tent-City Plan to End Homelessness

Michael van Baker — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:09:35 +0000

In April, in a dark mood, I predicted that "the Council will do nothing substantive over the next several months." I was incorrect. In fact, the Council adopted unanimously this week Council Bill 117288, which spells out "standards that a religious facility is expected to maintain when operating encampments." That's how the Council's news release puts it.

Home of REI, Seattle Wrestles With Urban Tent Cities

Michael van Baker — Mon, 16 May 2011 15:52:43 +0000

At issue is the homeless activism behind Nickelsville's existence--you get the sense that in their view, they are a community looking for a home, whereas government sees a social ill that needs to be ended. (It should be noted that while Nickelsville is a tent city, not all tent cities argue Nickelsville's brand of self-determination.) There's public resistance to "institutionalizing homelessness" if the city or county creates a permanent encampment (which has lead to linguistic contortions such as a "semi-permanent home")--or even rents housing.

City Council to Homeless: Hang in There, Guys!

Michael van Baker — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:01:59 +0000

The boldness of our City Council sometimes leaves me breathless. Recently they announced that, having failed to address the existence of the roving homeless camp Nickelsville, they plan to "review alternatives to the Sunny Jim site" suggested by Mayor McGinn as a temporary encampment, which plan has since bogged down due to concerns about site contamination, which, you know, as a former Sunny Jim products consumer, I'd like to know substantially more about.