What’s New with GSC? January 2017

Highlighting homelessness in the Puget Sound 
Camp Second Chance gets a second chance 
When Camp Second Chance moved onto unpermitted public land on Meyers Way in July of 2016, the neighbors expected nothing but drugs and garbage. However, the exemplary behavior of this highly organized, neat and friendly camp won over first the neighbors, then the police, then the fire department, and finally the City of Seattle itself. After months of being defended against sweeps by their neighbors, in late 2016 Camp Second Chance was finally authorized as a permitted camp by the City of Seattle! Congratulations, CSC!

UW develops a first-ever on-line course on homelessness 
With Tent City 3 staying at the UW, the University has developed an on-line course about homelessness. We believe this is the first course of its kind.
Check it out at https://www.youtube.co/watch?v=W1U0EEXOhU4

In Shoreline, on the other hand . . . .

WE NEED YOUR HELP! 

In late 2015, the Shoreline City Council directed its Planning Commission to review the city’s zoning code with a view to lowering barriers for people experiencing homelessness. After an outcry from a small group of residents of Richmond Beach who feared that such amendments would bring more homeless people into their neighborhoods, the Planning Commission sent to the Council a set of amendments that will make it very difficult for any organization to host a camp. Among these is a 20-foot “set-back” rule that drops the number of churches in Shoreline with enough space to host even a small encampment from about 25 to 3. Greater Seattle Cares is asking the City Council to adopt instead alternative language that would not result in a ban on homelessness in Shoreline.

We need the City Council to know that Shoreline can be home to ALL types of people, and that everyone deserves a safe place to sleep.

Come to the Shoreline City Council meeting on January 30th 

at Shoreline City Hall at 17500 Midvale Ave N 

and speak out against these anti-homeless laws. 

For more information, contact GSC President Cindy Roat at cindy.roat@alumni.williams.edu.

Read on, for the news from the camps that GSC supports: 

Tent City 3 (TC3) 
Currently at: The University of Washington, Parking Lot 35, on the south side of NE Pacific St, just west of Brooklyn Ave. NE.
Next move: TC3’s next move will be on March 18th. The camp does not yet have a host for the next move.
Requests: TC3 is asking for zip ties and batteries. And a host site for March!

Husky Health Bridge, a service group of UW dentistry students

News: While staying at UW, the camp is receiving a lot of attention. Besides the on-line course on homelessness described above, a variety of student groups from the School of Dentistry, the School of Social Work, and the School of Pharmacy are working with GSC to provide professional services to the camp. GSC also continues to deliver supplies and to meet other immediate camp needs. For example, the camp’s coffee maker died this week. Since hot coffee is often the only way residents stay warm in the 20º weather, GSC will be delivering a new one this weekend.

Camp United We Stand (CUWS) 
Currently at: St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, 722 N 145th St. Shoreline
Next move: CUWS plans to move on February 15th to Shoreline Free Methodist Church, although the approval is still in progress.
Requests: CUWS needs a stapler, AAA batteries, standard angle brooms, dust pans, large latex gloves, Pine Sol (or some other all-purpose cleaner), and Windex

Shoreline Mayor Chris Roberts

News: CUWS has organized to fight the proposed amendments to the Shoreline zoning code, described above. In response to their challenge, Mayor Chris Roberts made a 1-hour visit to the camp on January 19th. Thank you, Mayor Roberts, for taking the time to come see a transitional encampment with your own eyes!








Camp Unity Eastside (CUE) 
Currently at: Kirkland Congregational Church, 106 5th Ave, Kirkland, WA 98033
Next move: CUE will be moving on the weekend of Feb. 3rd and 4th to St. Jude’s Catholic Church, located at 10526 166th Ave. NE in Redmond.
Requests: Help with their upcoming move!
News: The camp currently has 14 residents, because so many have moved into permanent housing. The camp is expected to grow again, however, when it gets to its new site.

Camp Second Chance (CSC) 
Currently at: 9625 Myers Way S, Seattle
Next move: Since CSC has been permitted by the City of Seattle, the camp will not have to move again!
Requests: CSC is in need of some clip boards, duct tape and brooms.
News: As part of the transition to being a permitted camp, CSC will soon be receiving a solid amount of public funding to install water and electricity and water, and to help pay for the Honey Buckets and the garbage service. While the camp will continue to be self-governed, the non-profit organization Patacara Community Services will become the managing agency for the camp.

Camp Second Chance

Picture from the Patacara website

 

If you would like more detail on any of these topics please contact 

info@GreaterSeattleCares.org. 

Thank you all for your support and especially your big hearts and generous spirits in doing what you can to help those experiencing homelessness.

Two of our camps have some special needs. Can you help?

To all our faithful supporters!

Two of our camps have some special needs. Can you help? If so, you can deliver directly to the camps, deliver to our President’s home in Shoreline, or we’ll even come and pick up your donation. Contact us at info@greaterseattlecares.org if you’d like a pick-up.

Thank you for all your support of Greater Seattle Cares and the residents of Seattle’s transitional encampments! Greater Seattle Cares Board of Directors
  
Camp Second Chance, located at 9625 Myers Way S. in West Seattle, is expanding to accommodate more people living homeless. They are in need of:

• Tents – singles (8’x10’), doubles (10’x12’), and family tents (9’x15’) 
• Tarps – 16’x20’, 20’x24’, 18’x30’ 
• Plywood –4’x8’ one-half inch sheets 
• Cash donations to pay for gasoline for the generator and propane for a gas heater 
• Cots 

Camp United We Stand, located at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church at 722 N 145th St in Shoreline, is also expanding. They are now at their limit at 35 residents, but they need tent sites for the new residents. They are in need of:

• Blankets and sleeping bags 
• Plywood - 4’x8’ one-half inch sheets 
• Pallets – 4’x4’

What’s New with GSC?

New Tents and Tarps have been delivered! 

Thanks to our generous donors we were able to fill all the tent requests we received from Tent City 3, Camp United We Stand, and Camp Unity Eastside. We also provided them with a new heavy-duty tarp for each tent, and even carport tents that were requested for communal areas. These arrived just ahead of the recent heavy rains. Thanks to our donors for making this possible.
As the Seattle winter weather sets in, all the camps will be looking for winter clothing, boots, raingear, blankets, sleeping bags, batteries for flashlights and lanterns, and hand warmers. Large men’s clothing is always in need. We are looking into how to provide Goodwill Store vouchers to campers and will let you know once the process is in place.

Here are the current locations of the camps we support and their identified supply lists: 

TC3 
Currently at: The George, 2212 NE 125th St, Seattle, WA 98125
Next move: TC3’s next move will be on December 17th to the University of Washington.
Requests: TC3 is asking for ponchos and rubber boots.
News: The camp is using a generator for power while staying at The George and GSC has been providing the gas. We recently replaced all five of their old, unsafe gas cans with brand new ones. GSC will also be hosting the Medical Teams International Mobile Dental Clinic at TC3 on November 19.

Camp United We Stand (CUWS) 
Currently at: Richmond Congregational United Church of Christ, 1512 Northwest 195th St. Shoreline, WA 98177, (206) 637-1052
Next move: CUWS is moving on Wednesday 11/7 to St. Dunstan’s Episcopal, located at 722 N. 145th St in Shoreline. The City of Shoreline permit has been delivered to the camp and the host.
Requests: CUWS is hoping for help with supplies for this upcoming move: garbage bags to keep belongings dry, gorilla tape, zip ties, etc. They have already enlisted the help of two non-profits with the loan of moving trucks. You can help defray the costs by move supplies by making a donation to Greater Seattle Cares and earmarking the gift for this purpose.
News: GSC has provided 750 feet of privacy fencing and 32 2x4s so that the camp can enclose the larger area they have available to them at St. Dunstan’s.

Camp Unity Eastside (CUE) 
Currently at: The Carol Edwards Center, 17401 133rd Ave NE, Woodinville, WA 98072
Next move: CUE will be moving this weekend, the 5-6 of November to Kirkland Congregational Church.
Requests: As with Camp United We Stand, CUE is hoping for help with supplies for this upcoming move. You can help defray the costs by move supplies by making a donation to Greater Seattle Cares and earmarking the gift for this purpose.

Camp Second Chance 
Currently at: Myers Way S, West Seattle
Next move: None planned
News: GSC supported this camp when it was first formed and then, for various reasons, had to withdraw that support. Recently, however, GSC was back in touch with this camp and found it to have stabilized significantly. While camping on public land due to the lack of a church willing to host the camp, the residents have won the support of the neighbors and even the police with their exemplary behavior and clean site. They are even starting a fund raising effort (see below) to help defray the costs of gasoline for their generator, the portable toilets and garbage collection! Impressed by the residents’ initiative and responding to the camp’s request, GSC has reinstated Camp Second Chance among the camps that we support. Here is link to the camp’s website. https://campsecondchance.github.io/.
Welcome back, Camp Second Chance!

CSC is selling polo shirts to support the camp. Here is their logo, designed by a CSC resident, showing a lucky 4-leaf clover.

Come down to camp and buy one!

If you would like more detail on this or any topic, please contact info@GreaterSeattleCares.org.

Thank you all for your support and especially your big hearts and generous spirits in doing what you can to help those experiencing homelessness.