Eastside volunteers counted 158 homeless people out in the open in 30-degree weather in Bellevue, Kirkland and Redmond and nearby communities early last Friday morning.These included approximately 50 residents of Tent City 3 in Bellevue.
Among the nine areas covered by the annual count organized by the Seattle King County Coalition on Homelessness (SKCCH), the three Eastside cities had the fourth largest population after Seattle (1,976), Kent (193) and those trying to sleep on buses (171).The count was conducted between 2 and 5 a.m.
According to volunteers, men and women slept in cars piled with clothing and personal possessions, their windows hung with newspapers or blankets to keep out the light and the cold.One car had a hand-made sign in the window:“I’m just sleeping.”
Others were found huddled in sleeping bags or bedrolls in tents and under tarps in makeshift camps hidden by underbrush, trying to stay warm in the freezing, foggy weather, some with a small campfire.
A few took shelter in a restaurant after paying for a meal.Some slept under roadways or in doorways.Nine people were just walking around, too cold to risk sleeping and developing hypothermia.
To assure their safety, specific locations where homeless individuals were found will not be made public.A summary is available atwww.homelessinfo.org/onc.html
The count of the entire area reported a total of 2,826 men, women and children, up 2 percent from 2008.The figure for the three Eastside cities was up 3 percent.
The overnight total does not include those in shelters or transitional housing.SKCCH expects that number to be approximately 6,000.Residents of the three Tent Cities in Bellevue, Shoreline and Seattle’s University District are considered unsheltered.While they live in organized compounds, typically on a religious institution’s property, they have only tents, tarps and sleeping bags to protect them from the weather.
The count does not cover the entire county, focusing on densely populated areas, nor does it include people doubled up with family or friends as they are not considered homeless under federal guidelines. Conducted annually since 1981, the results of the count help allocate resources and plan for future needs, particularly low-income and transitional housing.
The homeless in the three Eastside cities were counted by a Bellevue-based group of 46 volunteers, part of a force of 869 that fanned out throughout King County.
Alison Eisinger, Director of SKCCH, said that many count volunteers ask what they can do.SKCCH will offer two free advocacy workshops, “Beyond the One Night Count,” on Saturday, February 21st, in Seattle and Kent. Information is available at http://www.homelessinfo.org .
