TENT 214
NICKELSVILLE INTERVIEWS
by Tom Hastings � 2008
Tent 214 is a Pima Indian from the Gila River Indian Community outside Phoenix, Arizona.
TENT 214
I�m a Pima Indian from South Phoenix and Gila River. I�ve been homeless off and on for 20 years. I came to Seattle in 2001. I stayed under a bridge, many shelters including Union Gospel Mission, and Tent City. A shelter can be a nice clean place. All depends upon the staff maintaining it. People in Nickelsville tell you only their side of the story about those shelters. Some shelters are good, some are bad.
I AM AT NICKELSVILLE BECAUSE NICKELSVILLE IS NECESSARY. THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH SHELTERS OR AFFORDABLE HOUSING. WE NEED THIS.
The city is not meeting some of the goals of their own Ten Year Plan. They just came out with a report saying they built 1,400 units and are working on 1,400 more�. We cannot live in some fantasy world described in the Ten Year Plan. WE NEED SHELTER RIGHT NOW!
Mayor Nickels is trying to take away our last safety net. All we want to do is live in a tent without being arrested. Many of these people are getting their lives together and working jobs. Nickels wants to take it all away and force them into prison, but prison is just a revolving door�.
WE�RE A COMMUNITY HERE. WE ALL WORK TOGETHER�. I was in the SHARE/WHEEL Safe Haven indoor shelter. There was a lady who stood and asked for everyone�s attention. She said, �I just want to thank everyone here because I see my psychiatrist once a week, but I see all of you every night, and you talk to me and help me and my problems, because some of you have the same problems, and you guys help me a lot more, and tomorrow I�m getting my own place!� Then she moved on. But I mean that�s the kind of strong community we need to help each other.
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