02/13/08 Not in our back yard: Seattle church battles with parents over tent city plans

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KOMOTV.COM

February 13, 2008
- Seattle, Washington

Seattle church battles with parents over tent city plans

A homeless tent city encampment is seen in a file photo.
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Story Published: Feb 13, 2008 at 7:07 AM PST

Story Updated: Feb 13, 2008 at 7:07 AM PST
By KOMO Staff
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SEATTLE -- What began as a quiet community meeting Tuesday night quickly became a frenzied forum that pitted neighbors against each other over a church's plans to host a homeless tent city this summer.

Many members of the Sand Point Methodist Church thought area residents would arrive with offers of help, but a large contingent of parents felt their safety concerns weren't being addressed.

"Length of stay, guaranteed, criminal background checks, ID, how many people are gonna be here?" one parent shouted

The retorts came fast and furious.

"What is it about the status of homeless people that scares you?" asked a supporter of the plan to host the homeless camp.

Few masked their anger.

"The fear is not for me, it's for my children and that is my responsibility," yelled another parent. "They're the most vulnerable members of this community and for you to stand up and tell me it's irrational is completely unacceptable!"

The heated debate is a familiar one. Tent cities on the Eastside were born out of similar meetings.

As private establishments, it's a church's decision to welcome the traveling homeless encampment, but some cities and have tried to pass ordinances barring them from moving in.

Parents at the meeting said they're most worried because Sand Point Methodist is right next to View Ridge Elementary, and the church itself is where the local Boys and s Club meets.

"There were no questions answered about the safety, how they were going to help our children, how they were going to ensure our children were safe," said parent Jennifer Yerkes.

Reverend Pat Simpson wants to separate fact from fear, but the promise of safety is something she says no one can make.

"I'm a parent too, and I wish that all of us could guarantee 100 percent the safety of our children," she said.

Simpson said the church is not yet prepared to make a decision about hosting the tent city and they are still gathering information about logistics and hearing concerns.

There were also many people at the meeting Tuesday who spoke positively of their experiences working with and living near other tent cities.

Sand Point Methodist is expected to make its final decision in March.