Tent City 3, a homeless encampment of roughly 100 men and women, has been at Seattle University since Jan. 29. Located on the university's outdoor tennis courts, Tent City 3 will remain on university property through February.
According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, Seattle University is the first university in the country to host a homeless community.
In coming to its decision to host Tent City 3, the university consulted at length with previous hosts, city officials, advocates for the homeless and residents of the Squire Park neighborhood near the campus, said Seattle University President Father Stephen Sundborg.
"Hosting and offering help to this group of homeless men and women is the right thing for Seattle University to do on many levels," he said. "From our Jesuit-Catholic focus on service and our practical ability to offer a secure, well-situated venue without disruption to our students and neighbors to our ability to create meaningful learning and service opportunities for students, faculty and staff."
The process leading up to hosting Tent City 3 began last fall, when Sundborg urged the university community to read a sobering book about a Jesuit priest's experience working with the homeless on the streets of Portland, Ore.
Some 400 copies of "Radical Compassion," by Gary Smith, were distributed to faculty, staff and board members, with the idea that the reading would ignite an active dialogue to address homelessness in the school's backyard.
Last spring, a committee began mulling over potential ways the university could raise awareness on issues of homelessness and engage the campus and greater community in a project to serve this population. During this time, a group of doctoral students was developing a paper built around the idea of Seattle University housing Tent City 3. What began as a class project evolved into a formal proposal to the university that was accepted in September 2004.
"Seattle University will be the setting of a truly unique urban classroom," said Michael Stoops, director of community organizing at the National Coalition for the Homeless. "We hope that other schools offer a similar approach."
The Seattle homeless-advocacy organization Share/Wheel started Tent City in 1990, as a means of creating temporary shelter for homeless men and women until they can get back on their feet and find permanent housing. Tent City 3 began in 2000, and has moved to more than 40 locations since, including several stops on Capitol Hill. In summer 2004, the tent city was located for one month at St. Joseph's Catholic Church before moving to St. Mark's Episcopal Church, where the camp has resided on five occasions.
Roughly 100 people live in the mobile encampments, which cost about $45,000 a year to run, staying, on average, at any one location for 30 days to up to three months.
Tent City 4, a similar homeless encampment based on the Eastside, is currently located just east of Kirkland. A Bellevue church recently declined to host the camp, leaving its future location in limbo.
Tent City 3 is self-governing, but all residents must abide by a strict code of conduct that forbids drugs and alcohol, weapons, and physical and verbal abuse. Of those who live in tent city, the majority have jobs, while others stay at camp during the day to help with security, among other duties.
The university plans various outreach projects during the stay, including a weekly health clinic staffed by students and faculty from the College of Nursing, and free legal clinics organized by the School of Law on issues including unemployment benefits, Social Security and disability claims, and family law and custody.
Additionally, university groups and members of the community will prepare and serve hot meals in the evenings during much of the stay, and tent city residents will engage in various educational outreach including speaking to classes on campus and to elementary and middle school students in the community.
On Sunday, Feb. 6, a Super Bowl party was held for tent city residents at a Seattle University's ballroom.
Hosting Tent City 3 validates the university's commitment to social issues, said student Angie Merrill.
"By inviting the homeless to our campus as both a service and educational initiative, SU isn't just telling students to go out there and take action," said Merrill, a senior in the social work program and a student voice on the Tent City 3 committee. "The university is taking action itself."
Tina Potterf is a communications coordinator at Seattle University. She can be reached c/o editor@capitol hilltimes.com.
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