Tent City 3, the homeless encampment of 100 adult men and women, plus a few cats and dogs, put down stakes last August at Riverton Park United Methodist Church, 3118 S 140th St., Tukwila, where it will remain until November 17, its official 3-month allotment. It will then relocate to a different church in the Seattle area.

Like Tent City 4, its Eastside cousin, Tent City 3 is sponsored by the 501(c)(3) organizations Seattle Housing and Resources Effort (SHARE) and Women's Housing Equality and Enhancement League (WHEEL).

According to Wikipedia, "The original Tent City and Tent City 2, both created in the late 1990s, were created illegally and opposed by the City of Seattle. After being tolerated for some time, they were eventually forced to shut down."

The other tent city, Nickelsville, is located in a West Seattle industrial area adjacent to its Highland Park neighborhood, and has remained there for 16 months and counting. Unlike the other encampments, Nickelsville accepts children. However, Tent City 3 has 20 emergency overflow beds, in addition to its capacity of 100, and says it will not turn away teen runaways in the short term. It will also help those under 18 find shelter and other services if they turn up at its entrance.

Tent City resident, Andy:

Tent City 3 resident, Andy, 37, spoke with the Highline Times while on desk duty at the entrance. The ex-Marine is from Richmond, VA., and said other veterans live at the encampment, mostly Army.

"This is a 'participation camp', so we have security 24 hours a day," he said. "Someone is on the desk 24 hours a day, and we rotate with two residents on three-hour shifts, 24 hours a day who walk through the neighborhoods in a two block radius and watch for anything that happens. We keep a folder and write anything suspicious we see in the neighborhood. A lot of people see a stigma of encampments. We have zero tolerance for drugs, alcohol, violence. There is no loitering in the neighborhood, and only one entrance. I know everybody coming in and going.

"About 25-percent of our residents work part time," said Andy, who has a background in construction including project manager and superintendent. "A large percentage is on SSI ( Social Security Supplemental Security Income) which is so low now they can't afford housing. Then you've got some with mental and physical issues where they can't seem to hold a job. Some just lost a job, and are looking, or are going to school.

"We send out letters asking a church if they will consider hosting us," he said. We like to know the next site ahead of time of course. We don't ask for anything from the church other than the use of their land. We've stayed at this church a couple of times. They are nice people."

Tent City 3 often returns to the same churches, creating a somewhat dependable cycle. These include St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral on Capitol Hill, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Shoreline, and Haller Lake United Methodist Church at 1st Av. NE and 130th.

Tent City 3 hosted by SPU:

They were hosted by Seattle Pacific University in January and stayed until March, unusual for a college. In an article by Mike Wold for Real Change, the weekly street newspaper, he quotes a homeless advocate who sites the encampment as a win-win both for its residents, and for SPU students...

“The most important thing was that it broke down barriers,” said Owen Sallee, coordinator of the Global and Urban Involvement program. “There’s a difference between serving meals at a shelter where you don’t eat with the guests and sitting down with people and getting to know them. You find out that they’re not really that different from you. The differences are often no greater than the differences you might find with some of the people in your dorm.”

Real Change newspaper founder Timothy Harris:

"I think one of the main attractions with the tent cities is that they have a peer management and peer support model that is less demeaning than most shelter," Real Change Founding Director Timothy Harris told the Highline Times. "They offer more flexibility, and in some respects better conditions in terms of personal security and crowding. The sense of safety comes out of the sense of community, which is absent in most large urban shelter settings.

"I think for most people, housing would be much preferable to tent cities, but given the scarcity there that's a very theoretical choice," he added. "It's well known that homeless people who once had community in a shelter setting, and then get into housing and find themselves relatively isolated don't do very well and sometimes become homeless again. Some housing programs get that, and work to create a sense of community. But that's what people get in the tent cities, I think, that some are afraid they'd lose in housing."

Tent City 3 residents Alan and Jennifer:

Tent City 3 residents Alan and Jennifer share a 10' X 16' tent provided by the encampment. Alan, 43, grew up in Tukwila not far from his current digs, and graduated from Foster High School there.

"This is not exactly how I wanted to move back to the neighborhood, but, OK," said Alan. "I'm unable to work due to physical disabilities, asthma, a steel plate in neck, lower back troubles. I lived with my (ex) wife and three kids six years ago. I had my kids eight months and I just wasn't able to function. Things spiraled, and I lived on and off with girlfriends, friends, until I ended up with nothing. I took a look at tent city. I liked what I saw.

"It is real, every day people who are here," he said. "It's not people who are always unwilling to work. You're one paycheck away (from homelessness), without a doubt. Sometimes circumstances snowball."

"I came up here from the Bay Area to be with my ex-husband and we broke up," said Jennifer. "I stayed and he left. I feel safer here than the other options, like being on the street, or in a shelter. There are no strangers allowed. There is security here and people don't steal. Everybody here watches out for each other."

Tent City 3 accepts donations onsite and offers a "Wish List" here. They are gearing up for the cold and rain and request winter clothes and blankets.

They can be reached by phone at (206) 399-0412.

They also seek volunteers to help them move on Nov. 17.