Community Corner

Homeless Camp Approved for First United Methodist Move

Despite worries from parents at a Montessori school located at First United Methodist Church, the city of Bellevue approved the church's plan to be the temporary host of homeless encampment Camp Unity Eastside.

Camp Unity Eastside, the homeless encampment that split from Tent City 4, was approved to move to the First United Methodist Church in Bellevue for a three month stay starting in September, the city of Bellevue announced Thursday.

Camp Unity Eastside, which is currently at Trinity Lutheran Church in Kirkland, plans to move to First United Methodist Church of Bellevue, 1934 108th Ave NE, on Sept. 14, said Steve Wiggins, executive operations director and a resident of the camp.

Appeals to the decision are due to the city by 5 p.m. Sept. 5, according to city documents.

In the church's application to host the temporary camp in its parking lot, Pastor Stephen Tarr wrote, "The founder of the Methodist movement said, 'You do not become holy by keeping yourself pure and clean from the world, but by plunging into ministry on behalf of the world's hurting ones.' Hosting Camp Unity is a way for us to be faithful to this mission."

At a community meeting earlier this month, while some praised the church for taking on the camp, several parents at The Eastside Montessori School expressed concern over the background checks and security at the site. The school is located at the church.

Camp Unity Eastside members told the parents that the reason why they split from Tent City 4 was to establish more security checks for residents, which Tent City 4's parent organization, SHARE/WHEEL objected to. Tent City 4 checks residents when they join the camp, and Camp Unity Eastside's residents submit to more background checks even after they are accepted into the camp.

The Bellevue Police Department also said the department will assign officers for extra patrols in the area.

People who are not accepted into the camp are taken off site to the nearest bus station, and will not be allowed to loiter nearby, camp residents told parents at the meeting.

Camp Unity Eastside has 85 residents currently, though they have room for up to 100, Wiggins said.

Camp Unity Eastside split from Tent City 4 in November after some Tent City 4 residents said that the camp's parent group SHARE objected to an agreement for random checks for sex offenders after the arrest of a child rape suspect at the camp, among other complaints, according to a story by Patch.

SHARE still operates Tent City 4, which is moved recently to the Kirkland Congregational Church to the Redwood Family Church in Redmond. Tent City 4 was in Bellevue when it stayed at Temple B'nai Torah in 2011 and at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Bellevue in 2012. 

First United Methodist also hosted Tent City 4 in 2009.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected. The original version omitted Tent City 4's stay at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Bellevue.


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