Church groups and volunteers are getting ready to welcome to Issaquah the second visit of Tent City 4.

Tent City is a temporary village which houses up to 100 homeless men and women, offering them a roof over their head and some of the many facilities most of us take for granted, such as a place to shower and store belongings.

It is also a place of community, providing homeless people with some stability in their attempts to get back on their feet through employment, treatment for addiction, or reconnecting with family and friends.

On Saturday, Jan. 23, Tent City 4 will pack up its current digs at the Bellevue First Methodist Church and move to the grounds of the Community Church of Issaquah at 205 Mt. Park Blvd SW. There they will stay until April 24, when Tent City 4 will move to the grounds of another Eastside church.

The Issaquah City Council, local residents and businesses have demonstrated a great welcome for the small community of otherwise homeless people.

But, as important as it is, goodwill will only go so far, and there is still work to be done to ensure the success of this vital, yet unfunded, service.

The Issaquah Sammamish Interfaith Coalition, which, as the name suggests, is a group of people from many different churches, was formed to coordinate the massive volunteer effort needed to move the village of tents from Bellevue to Issaquah, and provide food, equipment and other provisions for the 80 or so residents.

At a Tent City coordination meeting at Bellevue First Methodist last week, The Reporter met with representatives of the various churches as well as residents of Tent City, in order to provide timely and accurate information about what resources and supplies are needed.

For the move-in day on Jan. 23, up to 20 volunteers are still needed to assist with work that could involved loading and offloading pallets and heavy equipment, or helping with organization.

In addition, the Interfaith Coalition has released this list of needs:

• 30 lbs. 3” nails for nailing plywood to pallets

• twine

• 500 ft. of a quarter inch nylon rope

• rolls of duct tape

• 300 ft of a quarter inch hemp rope

• 2-3 pickup trucks to make run(s) to First United Methodist to haul supplies

• one truck to haul TC4 shower trailer. Needs hitch and 2 inch ball. Weight less than 1000 lbs.

• help to setup Tent City computer network

If you are able to supply any item, or part of an item on this list, contact Elizabeth Maupin at elipeter@juno.com., as soon as possible.

Provide a meal

There is also an opportunity for families and large groups to provide an evening meal for the residents.

Church and sporting groups, groups of friends and office teams have all taken part in meal provision at Tent City, and attest to it being not only personally very satisfying but also a great way to learn more about your friends and your community.

There are a number of vacancies on the meals calendar. To view the calendar go to http://prem.calendars.net/tcmeals. If you want to sign, or just know more, e-mail Steve Burk at TC4meals@gmail.com.

Tradesmen and handymen

Tradesmen and handymen also have an opportunity to do their part. If you can assist with electrical or plumbing hook-ups, or have questions about labor or equipment for the move, contact Earle Jones at ehjonz@yahoo.com.

Tent City is operated by SHARE/WHEEL, an organization of homeless and formerly homeless men and women. Their meagre budget covers some basic costs such as sanitation, refuse pick up, and bus pass allocation to some of the residents, though does not cover many basic needs, including food.

Rather than representing a drain on residents’ resources and a negative impact on the city, Tent City instead offers the people of Issaquah and Sammamish an opportunity to learn more about homelessness on a social, political and economic level, while at the same time contributing to a valuable social program.