TCT Minutes for Dec 2, 2015

by
Dec 2, 2015

MEETING COORDINATORS: Facilitator: Neal, Stacker: Bud, Note Taker, Alan.

ATTENDEES: Pamm, Neal, Bill H, Bud, Vince, Alan, Janet Turner, Sam, Linda M, Dani, DeeAnne, Angie.

AGENDA APPROVAL AND MINUTES ADOPTION

  1. Shall we adopt the proposed agenda? Approved unanimously.
  2. Shall we approve the minutes of -11/18/2015 Approved unanimously.
  3. Shall we follow the adopted agenda? (This means that each participant keeps all comments directly related to agenda items in the order agreed on and related to present and future activities, not the past.) Approved unanimously

REPORTS/DISCUSSION

  1. Bud:
    Report on SLTWD meeting, Sat. 21 Nov. Sharing Truth. Bud went to the meeting. Spent time talking about homeless issues. There are a lot of people wanting to help. They are working on a Christmas gift for the area. Our agendas overlap in that we both work on shelter for the homeless. They’re more into housing. We discussed getting them to sign Bud’s letter or possibly to get others to sign.
  2. Vince: Meeting place for homeless at FUMC
    Vince made a report on the status of our request for FUMC to host a weekly meeting for the homeless. Vince has not yet approached the FUMC governing body. Currently, there are a lot of things going on in the church. Linda said we could probably continue holding meetings at their place.
  3. Name Change:
    We discussed changing our name to something other than “Tent City.” One suggestion was to change it to “Homeless Shelter Partnerships Tacoma“, or similar. Vince moves we table the issue of the name change until we resolve other, more pressing issues.
  4. County Fairgrounds:
    Pastor John was going to report on using the Pierce County Fairgrounds as a potential site. However, he was unable to attend this meeting, and so this discussion was deferred until another time.
  5. Coalition meeting:
    Bud: reported on the coalition meeting held Tuesday, Nov 24. He spoke with LaShawnda concerning changing the coalition bylaws to emphasize a priority of getting the homeless off the street now.
  6. Status and Needs of Proposed Shelter Site:
    Linda and Neal reported on the status and needs for the proposed site, the location of which has not yet been announced. We will defer mentioning the location until later. We discussed what resources are needed. Linda said that Inez, who was unable to attend, has a group of people willing and able to assist. We voted on the date for setting up the camp. Linda and Neal found this site. It has 2 buildings, including a barn that’s dry. It has outdoor facility for tents. This is state-owned property not currently being used. Linda and Neal have gotten support, possible donations for sanitation needs. Vince expresses concern about gathering resources within a week. Sam says he can bring tents. We have around 12 or 13 tents. Sam says this type of action results in churches stepping up.
  7. Needs for camp:
    1. Tents are a first priority. We need to get them set up right away. We have some resources for that
    2. We will need pallets. A great source is Craig’s list. Occupy Tacoma got a lot of pallets free at the docks
    3. Porta potties. We are working on that and have something in the offing.
    4. Fire extinguishers. We will use gas only for stoves. Charcoal grills are acceptable.
    5. If asked about trash, we will say that someone is hauling our trash off. We have at least one person who has committed to that.
    6. Need cell phone, log books, so we can proactively set up warrant checks on intake. We will not allowing alcohol or drugs.

MOTIONS

  1. A motion was made that we set up our first camp on Sunday 13th. Unanimously approved
  2. A motion was made to call that first camp Destiny Village. Unanimously approved.

UPCOMING EVENTS/ANNOUNCEMENTS

  1. Project Homeless Connect, 10a-2p, Sat., Dec. 5, Four Heroes Elementary, 9101 Lakewood Dr SW, Lakewood


Respectfully submitted: Alan OldStudent