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Thursday, May 3, 2018

Camp moves, immediate needs and more

What’s New?

Camp Moves

Tent City 3 is moving this weekend to the “Church by the Side of the Road, “located at 3455 S. 148th St. Tukwila WA 98168.
Camp United We Stand is planning to move from St. Dunstans in Shoreline to the George Center starting on May 18th. The George Center is located at 2212 NE 125th Street, Seattle WA 98125. UWS will move to the Haller Lake United Methodist Church in August.
 The St. George location does not have power or water so camp UWS will need support with those items once they move. We do not know whether TC3 will have access to power and water in Tukwila.

What’s not new?

Moving Again

Both Tent City 3 and Camp United We Stand are moving soon. Moving a camp is a lot of hard work. Imagine having to pack up everything you own, dismantle your house drag it across town, rebuild it and reset up all your belongings. Add to that having to rebuild all the surrounding community infrastructure on which you depend. This is the case almost every 12 weeks for these camps and includes the camps front desk and office, the kitchen, the donations tent and the dormitories. During the time it takes to accomplish the move the campers are completely outside so rain, cold or in some cases extreme heat can take its toll on them especially anyone in fragile health.
Greater Seattle Cares checks with the camps to provide the supplies needed for the camp move such as garbage bags, hammers, nails, work gloves, gorilla tape zip ties and brooms. A move kit with all these items can cost $300 for small camps and more than $500 for the larger camps. We have at times rented trucks to help with the moves and always check to make sure the campers have meals and water in both the location they are moving out of and the one they are moving in. The campers always appreciate volunteers. Please stop by and give them a hand, bring them some water, food or let us know if you would like to make a donation to support their moves. If you bring food or water to be mindful of any trash that will be generated as the camp will have to dispose of that.

Tents - While some of the sanctioned encampments use tiny houses, camps Tent City 3 and United We Stand still live in tents. These tents were designed for recreational, not continuous use so typically last only about 10 to 12 months. UV damage weakens the tent fabric over time. This means that there is almost a constant need for new tents.
The camps cycle out the tents that are aging as they wear. The tents are typically covered with a tarp to prolong the life of the tent and to prevent leaks along the seams. The camps set up their tents on platforms that are most commonly built of pallets covered with plywood. This is necessary to keep the tent out of water during rain. Using pallets makes the tent foot print a standard in size. Typically single person tents are 8’ X10’ and those for doubles are 10’ X 12’. Cabin style tents are preferred so that people can stand up inside and because they provide more usable room inside. A single tent can cost anywhere from $50 to $80 each and the doubles can cost from $140 to $250 each. Our GSC Board recently purchased 4 single tents for both camp UWS and TC3.
As the weather warms up, the populations in the sanctioned camps typically rises so their will undoubtedly be a need for additional tents. Please consider adopting a tent or donating funds for that purpose. Perhaps there are groups that might like to fund raise for tents specifically. Our board would be happy to help you facilitate, so just let us know if we can help.

What are current needs?

Water- When a camp doesn’t have water access they need bottled water or water jugs. Our recommendation is to fill the camps large water containers rather than supplying individual bottles of water. Individual plastic bottles create a lot of garbage that the camp then has to dispose.
Gas for the Generators- Tent City 3 is using generators at their current location and UWS will need to do the same when the move to the George Center. They typically need donations of gasoline to keep them going. We recommend picking up the gas cans and taking them to be filled as they are heavy to carry and the campers typically don’t have transportation.
Clothing- Keep in mind that a lot of campers are larger men. New undergarments are always appreciated but everything helps.
Blankets and Bedding- Campers need bedding and the ability to wash it. Each camp has its own laundry arrangements, but they sometimes need assistance with obtaining these donations
Batteries-Camps without power will rely on battery operated flashlights and other items.

Current Camp Hosts and Locations

Tent City 3-Cherry Hill Baptist Church, 700 22nd Ave. Seattle, WA 98122
United We Stand-St. Dunstans Church, 722 N 145th St, Shoreline, WA 98133
Tent City 4-Public Property in Issaquah, Exit 20 on I-90, Issaquah, WA
Tent City 5-Interbay Neighborhood in Ballard, 1601 15th Ave. W (cross street Garfield, under the Magnolia Bridge), Seattle, WA 98119
Camp Lichton Springs-Private Property belonging to the Low Income Housing Institute, 8620 Aurora Ave N just south of Seattle Fabrics
Camp Unity Eastside-Bear Creek United Methodist Church, 16530 Avondale Rd NE, Woodinville, WA 98077
Camp Second Chance-Public Property in White Center, 9625 Myers Way S. Seattle, WA 98108
Nicklesville Othello-7544 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Seattle, WA
Nicklesville Union-Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 22nd and E Union, Seattle, WA
Nickelsville Georgetown-1000 S. Myrtle St., Seattle, WA

Thank you!

Thank you for participating in the mission of Greater Seattle Cares. Thank you for caring! And thank you for your donations of money, time, goods, and relationships. Your caring brings hope and change to those we serve.