Camp Quixote III -- getting started

author : Leslie Cushman topic : Camp Quixote | homelessness

by Leslie Cushman

Camp Quixote has moved back downtown from its Westside location at the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Church (OUUC). The United Churches of Olympia accepted the request to host the camp when it became clear that other plans for a new site were falling through. The relocated Camp is set up to host up to 20 people and is located on a small parking lot on 11th and Washington, right next to the church building. The OUUC, as well as members from St John's Episcopal Church, pitched in on the move that took place May 19.

For the most part, things are the same at Camp Quixote III, but there are a few things that are different at this new site. The camp leadership and governance remain focused on community and direct democracy. Camp supporters still come from a number of arenas, such as the interfaith church community, Bread and Roses, and the Poor Peoples Union, as well as many people simply stopping by to give words of encouragement. Camp residents spend their day traveling to and from jobs, running errands, or taking trainings.

The few differences that exist are significant. The location of Camp Quixote III in a business and government district poses unique challenges: The site is highly visible from the street. The neighborhood has thousands of workers who walk and drive past the church twice a day. The Children's Museum is a block away, and an insurance agency is directly across the street. Law offices are nearby, and business lobbyists and associations are located throughout the area. There are coffee shops and sandwich shops up and down Capital Way. Essentially this is ground zero for the state bureaucracy and the network that supports it.

It isn't a simple matter to have a tent city in your midst. For whatever reason, some neighbors, tenants and workers are worried about the tent city residents as neighbors.

To address this head-on, the church and the camp hosted an open house for the community and neighborhood on May 24. The open house was attended by about 60 people. Pastor Mark Dowdy, Moderator Leslie Cushman, camp leader Randy Williams, and camp host Coordinator Deborah Reynolds talked about the processes put in place to address the uniqueness of this setting.

The open house included the opportunity to ask questions on how Camp Quixote III operates and on its rules of conduct. Reynolds described the health and safety measures in place and the great extent to which the camp and the church have gone to provide a safe and comfortable setting. Because of concerns for resident safety and issues raised by neighbors about security, a hospitality tent has been erected at the threshold of the camp. Reynolds is scheduling camp hosts for three-hour shifts, 24 hours a day, and she stressed that the role of the camp host is to provide privacy to the residents.

"You are the doorway for Camp Quixote," said Reynolds. After the question-and-answer session, attendees followed Randy Williams outside to the Camp where he led a tour and introduced camp residents.

"The Open House was a wonderful opportunity for our neighbors and the community to learn more about Tent City. A lot of people were put at ease simply by seeing Tent City up close and meeting residents," said Dowdy. Leslie Cushman, who is moderator of the church council this year, said church members are keenly aware that they have tremendous responsibility to do this right. Cushman said providing a safe home for the residents of Camp Quixote was ultimately a simple decision for the church because solidarity with the poor is at the core of the church's mission.

If you are interested in volunteering to staff the host table, please call Deborah Reynolds, the Host Coordinator, at (360) 480-6361, or e-mail her at deborahreynolds@comcast.net.