Tent City residents and coordinators urge council to prevent displacement and fund moves ahead of winter

Multiple residents and organizers representing Tent City 3 and Tent City 4 testified that scheduled moves in mid-November would displace hundreds of people and requested the council’s help to secure sites and funding.

Anitra Freeman, a representative of Share/Wheel and a spokesperson for the camps, described the logistical and human toll of moving large encampments in bad weather and told the committee: "Without shelter, people die." Residents, including Hillary Pinkerton, described family situations—children and a pregnant woman in a tent community—and appealed directly for continued sites and funding.

Ajayah Dorsey of Tent City 4 described being turned away from other shelters because she has a service dog in training and said the Tent City site provided the only safe place she could find. Cam Herzberg emphasized that Tent City 4 serves older adults, people with cancer and complex medical needs and asked the council to consider both compassion and practicality when identifying relocation sites.

Speakers asked the committee to prioritize preserving existing encampment sites where appropriate, to fund support services to streamline moves if they are unavoidable, and to accelerate alternatives such as shelter beds and noncongregate housing. The committee did not act on the requests during the hearing but recorded the testimony for the balancing package process.