KIRKLAND, Wash. — A new report finds red tape is keeping homeless encampments out of some Eastside cities.
Camp Unity is currently at a Lutheran church in Kirkland, but it will soon need to move on to another place.
Organizers thought they found the new location in Redmond at St. Jude Catholic Church, which offered it host it for three months.
But according to the Seattle Times, they were shocked to find out the temporary-use permit for the city will cost $2,600 -- a $1,000 more than when the church first started paying the permit.
By contrast, the Times found Kirkland charges $226 for the same permit. Tukwila doesn't require a fee or a permit. Sammamish limits encampments to one a year.
Other cities shorten the number of months an encampment can stay.
According to the times, Seattle waives fees for religious groups.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray wants to add three more tent city encampments, but in commercial zones and not residential neighborhoods.
And residents of tent cities would be assigned a social worker to help them get off the streets for good if they want to.
As for the cities’ varying fees, city leaders say they must balance religious groups' constitutional right to help the poor with the government's responsibility to protect the health and safety of its residents.
Thursday morning, camp organizers said the Kirkland church extended their stay until the end of February.
KIRO
