Homeless camp expected here in March and April

Members of Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church voted in favor of hosting Tent City 3 during a meeting on Sunday and the roving camp for the homeless is expected in Ballard during March and April next year.

Pastor Steve Grumm attended a meeting organized by State Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson to discuss the growing homeless population in the area on Nov. 28. During the meeting Grumm said church members had talked to neighbors and found support for bringing in Tent City 3.

"We had a good response. People sense homelessness is part of who we are," said Grumm.

Ballard church representatives, feeding program staff and other community members packed the meeting room at the Ballard Neighborhood Service Center to brainstorm on ways to assist people who live on the streets.

"This meeting is about homelessness in Ballard, a neighbor to neighbor response. Do we help neighbors who are homeless?" asked Dickerson. She cited the case of an elderly woman in Ballard who died of exposure several years ago.

"That was horrific. We don't want any more of our neighbors dying of homelessness. We need to reach out to them and organize," said Dickerson.

Soup kitchens in the area have been seeing more and more people who are cold and have medical needs. During a Thanksgiving luncheon at the Calvary Lutheran Church on Nov. 21, 120 sleeping bags were handed out and there were not enough to go around.

Nancy McKinney, director of the Ballard Food Bank said many food bank clients live in their cars. Jamie Opper, mental health outreach and engagement specialist for the Downtown Emergency Service Center said homeless people are being pushed out of downtown. She said new condominiums are one reason.

Grumm knows of one 85-year-old woman who ended up homeless three different times because her apartments were converted to condos.

Beth Miller, executive director of the Ballard Chamber of Commerce, said the homeless population has changed over the last few years with more elderly and women.

More people are also on drugs and have become aggressive.

"In the past the homeless have been well behaved. We don't want the criminal element to take over and drive out business," said Miller.

Rudy Pantoja, a local gardener who is contracted by the Ballard Merchants Association to clean Market St. said he has been dealing with the issue for 25 years.

He described the current situation as frightening. The sight of more elderly people living on the streets along with the mentally ill caught him off guard.

"There's no excuse for us to have homelessness," said Pantoja.

Dickerson asked people at the meeting for their ideas on what the Ballard community can do in the short term to address the issue.

She suggested raising money for more sleeping bags. "It is very cold out there," Dickerson said.

Several people said there was a need for city and state money to fund a homeless shelter.

"We need to look at what we can do now. It takes time for bureaucracy to get in gear. It is cold, people are at risk and physical harm. More elderly people are dying," said Dickerson.

One idea that was brought up was Ballard starting its own tent city.

Randi Hansen, a Ballard resident, suggested finding an empty lot to start a tent city while a long-term housing solution is found.

A city official at the meeting said the city has an agreement with Seattle Housing and Resource Effort/Women's Housing Equality and Enhancement League (SHARE/WHEEL), organizers of Tent City 3 to only operate one camp at a time and it must move from their locations in 60 to 90 days. Areas of the city also cannot host a tent city more than twice a year.

A Ballard committee was formed in 2004 to study the possibility of coming to the aid of the homeless. The result was a survey of the Needs Identification Survey of the homeless.

Another meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 11 at noon. The location is the Ballard Neighborhood Service Center.

Dean Wong may be contacted at 783.1244 or deanw@robinsonnews.com