City says Lake City Community Center unsuitable for Tent City 4; church to allow temporary stay while alternative sites sought

Seattle’s Housing and Human Services Committee received an update May 14 that the executive branch has decided the Lake City Community Center is not a suitable location to site Tent City 4, and that the city will partner with regional homelessness providers to identify an alternative site.

Committee Chair Kathy Moore delivered the update. She read from an email from the deputy mayor to a department director, saying, "A decision has been been made by the executive that the Lake City Community Center property is not suitable to site the Tent City 4 encampment," and listed reasons including its location in the heart of Lake City’s commercial district and concerns about alignment with Tent City Forest’s one-year-per-site practice. Moore also told the committee, "The Seattle Mennonite Church has indicated that they would allow Tent City 4 to remain at its current location until an acceptable alternative is identified, provided Tent City 4 requests a lease extension."

Why this matters: Tent City 4 currently shelters more than 100 people…