Homeless encampments are inhumane. That’s why I sponsored Tacoma’s new buffer ban
Since I joined the Tacoma City Council, I have been proud of the investments the city has made to support housing and homelessness. These include setting up multiple temporary shelters, passing a sales tax to support affordable housing and re-examining our zoning so we can help more people find a home in Tacoma. Looking ahead at our proposed budget, we are discussing investing more than $100 million in affordable housing and addressing homelessness. This council has done, and will do, more than any previous council to provide shelter and housing in this community.
At the same time, encampments are an issue we cannot ignore. Residents in encampments are at increased risk of being victims of crime and premature death. It is inhumane to allow people to live on our streets, and for this reason I was the lead sponsor of the recently passed ordinance to address encampments in our city. The ordinance prohibits encampments and the storage of personal belongings near the city’s temporary shelters and waterways.
First, let me be clear that this camping ordinance will not end homelessness. That was never the intended goal. What this policy does is help some of the most vulnerable in our community: those that have accepted our offers of shelter. It provides those individuals in our temporary shelters breathing room and space so that the cycle of homelessness can be broken.
It also clearly connects the idea that we provide shelter first and then we ban encampments, not the other way around. Tacoma is a compassionate community and we have shown year after year our willingness to support those who ask for help. I am hopeful that more neighborhoods and community partners will support our work as we set up shelters. Parts of our city that step up should not pay an increased burden for their efforts. Often, concerns I hear are not about the residents of our sites; instead, residents worry that offering services means living with encampments on their sidewalks. This policy separates what we know works, well-managed shelter, from what we know does not, unmanaged encampments.
Finally, this camping ordinance cannot be examined in isolation. It is part of a broader response to homelessness. The council understands that we need to identify and set up more places for people to find shelter and services. We need to collaborate with our partners more broadly to support a regional plan to end homelessness. We need to get creative and move quickly to help people move off our streets and on with their lives.
No one is happy with the status quo and, as I have recognized before, this camping ordinance is just a step. It is a moment where we re-examine our approach to homelessness, determine where we are, and how we move forward.
As I look out my front door at the village at Sixth Avenue and Orchard Street each morning, I know we have examples of what works.
I look forward to working with our community as we explore further ways to address homelessness in our community.
John Hines represents District 1 on the Tacoma City Council. He was first elected in 2019.