On behalf of Tent City 3, thank you. You鈥檝e all been respectful and courteous, and have welcomed us with open arms. We鈥檝e taken away and learned from this experience as much as y鈥檃ll have. 鈥� Chad
What does it mean to be homeless? For many residents of Tent City 3 (TC3) during its 90-day stay on campus as part of the University鈥檚 mission to teach, learn and serve in innovative ways, being homeless had historically meant being misunderstood.
鈥淭here are a lot of assumptions that homelessness is a direct result of something the homeless person has done wrong, but that鈥檚 just not true,鈥� says Donna, who moved to TC3 with her husband, Chad, after a job fell through. She poses a challenge: If you have an idea of what homelessness looks like, stop and think. Is your idea based in reality?
For three months, members of the 91探花community challenged their own assumptions as they connected with TC3 residents through courses, clinics, service days, meal sharing and by simply being good neighbors.
As they neared the end of their campus stay, TC3 residents reflected on the experience.
鈥淢ama鈥� TerriDee
You have a job. You get fired. Your first paycheck after that, there goes your rent and your car payment. The second check is most likely your insurance and your childcare. The third check you don鈥檛 get. So where are you going to go? Straight to the streets. That鈥檚 how close you are from having a job to where we are right now. It鈥檚 not laziness. Living on the streets is hard. I wouldn鈥檛 wish being homeless on my worst enemy.
Donna
We were in Denver, working. My husband was on a construction job with a man who came up to Seattle, got settled into another construction site, called us and said, 鈥業鈥檝e got a job for you, and y鈥檃ll can stay with me.鈥� So we packed our bags and bought our bus tickets. Then we got the call. He wasn鈥檛 here, the job wasn鈥檛 here, the place wasn鈥檛 here. So we started scrambling on the bus. After an initial breakdown, I started Googling homeless shelters. TC3 was the first one that popped up and the first one I called. We鈥檝e been here ever since, and it鈥檚 been a blessing. Every time students come here and do things for us, whether they鈥檙e bringing food or playing music, as soon as they step into TC3, you can just feel the 鈥榃hat can we do?鈥� attitude. The compassion. The actual caring. In just a few weeks, I鈥檝e grown attached to all the students who鈥檝e been in and out of here.
Justin
I really like being on campus. It鈥檚 good community, good people, and everybody鈥檚 been really generous with donations. Students will bring in dinner, serve it and eat with us as we sit together and talk. It鈥檚 pretty cool because everybody鈥檚 interested in what homelessness actually is. Students will come all the way out here in this weather and want to hear our stories so they can help other people realize how homelessness actually works and what the people who are in it are actually like.
Chad
I鈥檝e learned from the students that there are still good people in this world. In the short time we鈥檝e been homeless, we鈥檝e been blessed enough to be on this campus. We鈥檝e encountered nothing but open arms, generosity and people who are willing to listen and talk to us 鈥� people who ask us how our days are. Outside of the University, at regular camps and shelters, we don鈥檛 get that. We get looked at. We get treated differently. Everybody here has been fabulous. And I like it because it鈥檚 educating: It鈥檚 educating us, it鈥檚 educating the students, and the students are educating others. The students get to see the aspects of homelessness, the different people, the different reasons. And then they turn around and do papers, presentations and so forth that reach more people. It鈥檚 a revolving, pay-it-forward kind of deal. That鈥檚 why I like it.
Justin
People think that all homeless people are either addicts or mentally ill. Some of them are, but the percentage isn鈥檛 as high as people think. I became homeless because I was having medical problems in California, where I鈥檓 from. My doctor said, 鈥榊ou need to leave your environment. You need to leave this town.鈥� Where I鈥檓 from, it鈥檚 extremely hot and there鈥檚 a lot of pollution. I was having issues breathing, so I sold everything I had and moved up here, just when things started getting expensive. I can鈥檛 afford to live here anymore.
Ivan
I think we gave the students some good insight into the emotional toll that being homeless takes on you. It鈥檚 not easy living out here, but the interaction with the students 鈥� nursing, medical, dental 鈥� it鈥檚 humanized us instead of dehumanized us. And that鈥檚 the big thing, because we鈥檙e all human. We all have feelings. We all have wants and needs, and the outpouring of support from this campus has been awesome. I really didn鈥檛 expect it, but it鈥檚 been quite refreshing. I really enjoyed my time here.
Jonathan
I鈥檝e never been to school or anything like that, but ever since I came to Seattle and ended up in this place, I鈥檝e thought about getting an education. I could leave here with a degree. Maybe fisheries or nursing, or maybe I could take an aptitude test and see what I鈥檓 good at. My experience here has been awesome and totally inspiring. Education suddenly seems pretty important. I鈥檇 probably be a lot happier if I tried to use my brain instead
of my muscle.
For more on Tent City 3鈥檚 stay at the UW, including the classes that formed connections with TC3 residents, visit .