Lacey should amend tent city ordinance

• Published March 02, 2009

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The Lacey City Council is under pressure from all sides to do the right thing and adopt a workable tent city ordinance that will allow faith-based organizations to host the homeless in church parking lots.

At a hearing in the House Local Government and Housing Committee, Lacey was labeled as one of "three bad cities" in the state that are erecting roadblocks � hurdles that prevent churches from accommodating homeless encampments.

Tammy Fellin, a lobbyist for the Association of Washington Cities, said Woodinville is being sued in the state Supreme Court and Bothell is working with homeless activists over permit fees. That leaves Lacey.

Fellin was quick to note that progress is being made in Lacey, too, with the planning commission's vote in support of an ordinance to accommodate the homeless on church property.

Lobbyists for the cities and counties were testifying against House Bill 1956, which was introduced by Rep. Brendan Williams, D-Olympia. The bill is aimed directly at Lacey.

Williams' bill allows a church to house the homeless either inside or in outdoor tents on its property. It also bars regulations that unreasonably interfere with how a church houses the homeless on property it owns or controls; that outlaw homeless encampments based on the proximity to a school or day-care center; and that require churches to obtain certain types of insurance when housing the homeless.

That's been the rub in Lacey. By a 4-3 decision, the City Council adopted a tent-city ordinance that forces churches to host the homeless inside their facilities, not in the parking lot or adjacent property as is the custom. It's the requirement for indoor encampments that spawned Williams' legislation and drew the ire of community religious leaders and homeless advocates.

Testifying in support of HB 1956, pastor Howard Ullery from Lacey Community Church said his congregation is very interested in hosting Camp Quixote, the homeless encampment that has operated so successfully in Olympia for the past two years. Rev. Ullery said his church has 9,800 square feet of space, but about two-thirds of that space is filled with fixed furniture � from pews in the sanctuary to appliances in the kitchen. In addition the church hosts a preschool. "Our building can't accommodate the homeless in our building given our structure and our schedule," he said.

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