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Monday, February 21, 2005
A neighborly plan
After a difficult start last year, King County is on the verge of having a sensible plan for siting homeless tent encampments. That adds a valuable tool for short-term relief of housing problems while larger solutions are developed.
King County Council could take final action tomorrow on an ordinance setting up a permit process for temporarily siting Tent City 4 or other encampments. After lengthy discussions, the council has a worthy, bipartisan proposal to enact.
The ordinance proposed by Councilwomen Carolyn Edmonds and Jane Hague balances the interests of neighborhoods with the larger need to provide more shelter options. The key provisions of the measure will limit the time encampments could stay at churches, require notification of neighborhood groups and provide guidelines on where the camps should go. The plan also forbids use of county parks for the encampments and keeps them off other public land for a year.
Tent City 4 has encountered sometimes disappointingly rude resistance in Eastside communities since it moved to a Bothell site in May. But the permit process should help communities adjust to the temporary camps, as Seattle, Shoreline and other areas have.
The region, with King County taking the lead, is embarking on an ambitious 10-year plan to end homelessness. The permit process is a good basis for moving forward.
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| What should King County do about homeless tent encampments? | |
 7.7%Break up any camp |
13.8% Put the homeless on public land |
| 58.5% Permit encampments, work on bigger solutions |
18.5% Offer residents bus rides to Portland |
| 1.5% Demand DNA, fingerprints for entry |
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| Total Votes: 65 | |
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