(The Center Square) – The city of Seattle’s last-minute decision to not lease property for residents of a permitted tent encampment leads to the possibility of homelessness for approximately 100 people.
The sanctioned encampment named “Tent City 4” has been hosted by the Seattle Mennonite Church since May 18, 2024. The lease is set to expire on Saturday.
A sanctioned encampment is a legal temporary shelter that serves as a stopgap to keep people off sidewalks and out of jail, while they wait for other forms of housing and shelter to open.
During the King County Regional Homelessness Authority Governing Board Committee meeting on Thursday, KCRHA CEO Kelly Kinnison said the agency worked with the city and other partners to allow the city-owned Lake City Community Center to be used as shelter for the 100 residents.
However, after review of the community input and “other aspects of the site,” the city determined that the proposed site is not suitable for residents of Tent City 4, leaving little time for them to adjust.
“I want to be clear that KCRHA is working with partners to explore sites, but does not have final approval over those sites,” Kinnison said during the meeting. “This was never at a point that it was ready for you all to vote on it.”
Approximately 100 residents including children are now at risk of not having a place to stay on Saturday when the lease expires. The Tent City 4 residents voiced their frustrations with the last-minute decision during the public comment period.
Greg Thiessen, a member of the Seattle Mennonite Church, also spoke during public comment in solidarity with the Tent City 4 resident, saying that they are good neighbors in the area, contrary to the community feedback KCRHA received.
Thiessen asked why the Lake City Community Center was not suitable for people to live in temporarily.
“I understand that you all care about people and you want to get people into shelter, but the actions that I have witnessed over the last couple of weeks make me question that assumption,” Thiessen said.
Before the Governing Committee went into executive session, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said he only became aware of the issue on Wednesday and is asking his staff to immediately reach out to the Seattle Mennonite Church to extend the lease while the city finds long-term solutions.
