This is a wheelchair. It has just about given up the ghost from the rough ground in Tent City. The woman who owns it suffers from severe arthritis in the knees. A percentage of the people in Tent City are there because they lost their jobs due to physical problems of some sort.
The owner of this wheelchair would love an electric wheelchair. If any of you know how she might be able to get one, please let me know. Her lack of mobility has cost her at least one job. Please remember, she's technically homeless at the moment, and getting one through insurance isn't possible when you don't have insurance.
My latest visit to Tent City was inspired by Larry Osterman, who writes a brilliant defense of Tent City and the impending move to another town. I posted in the comments section, after a NIMBY popped up to offer some ignorance.
Tent City is about to leave Bothell. They've been here just about the limit of 90 days, and they are packing up. St. Brendan's is having a big farewell BBQ as I write this. After writing my last response to the NIMBY on Larry's site, I felt like I needed to go back over and visit Tent City, maybe for the last time in my neighborhood.
As before, I asked if I could take pictures. There really isn't a lot to take pictures of, as it's just an encampment of tents with dirt paths between. I spent a lot more time this time talking with residents about Tent City's purpose.
Here's an empty tent on "couple's row". It's meant for a married couple. The turnover rate at Tent City is fairly high. People usually don't stay much more than two months before they manage to save up enough to get into an apartment or house. Almost everyone is working, and if they don't have a job they are looking for a job or helping to run Tent City.
Here's a standard row of tents. As I was there, the security guys were quietly going down the rows waking everyone who had asked to be woken for the BBQ at the church. The security guy keeping an eye on me was new to the city. He lost his home two weeks ago and chose to come to Tent City because the emphasis is on finding a job and getting out, and he already has a line on a new job. Basically, he just needs a safe place to sleep for a few weeks until he has enough money to put back into getting an apartment. The shelters in Seattle are too far away from his potential job.
Safety first at Tent City. The place is laid out logically, and there are fire extinguishers on trees throughout the city as well as first aid kits. There have been a number of medical emergencies in the city, including one birth a couple of weeks ago.
The whole encampment is run smoothly. Near the entrance is an office tent at which donations are dropped off and where guests like myself sign in. It's also the place to go if any supplies run out... like coffee, which ran out while I was there. The office is also the place where problems are reported, from domestic disputes to more serious problems. All the incidents in which police were called in were instigated by Tent City. They did a fine job of self-policing.
I chatted with five or six different residents. I discussed the politics of Tent City, the crime rate, what it is like to live there... anything that came to mind. The residents I spoke with were all aware of the need to keep Tent City in the public eye. However, most of them said they preferred it not because they are making a statement but instead because it is much closer to the jobs they have or intend to get. One guy, who was in charge of security, told me that he's attending school and needed extra time on computers at the school. Since mass transit in the greater Seattle area is less than impressive, the timing of the bus schedules would leave him out in the cold more often than not. There is also a sense of community in Tent City that most shelters don't have. Instead of every man for himself, there's a spirit of pulling together to make life better. I felt it while I was there.
The neighborhood as a whole has benefitted from the presence of Tent City in the form of community litter patrols. One of the requirements of living in Tent City is putting in some service, and the litter patrols go around fairly frequently. I have noticed the difference.
I do hope to visit Tent City in its new home in Woodinville. When I do, I'll be sure to blog about it. Some of the residents of Tent City were a little fearful of Woodinville because of the loud cries of hate coming from that direction, and the fact that they've been told the land they will be living on is much smaller than the area they have in Bothell. If I can get pictures, I will. I also intend to take some pictures of the Bothell site once the group has left.
If you want to read my other reports about Tent City, go back to my last rant. There are links to all the other entries there. And if you can help with finding an electric wheelchair for my friend in the camp, please let me know. It would be one very good thing to come out of my visits.
