UW students want to make Ballard homeless camp more than a place to pitch a tent

There’s an effort underway to make a homeless encampment more than just a place to pitch a tent.

University of Washington architecture students are hosting a workshop to discuss the “potential design” of the Ballard site on NW Market Street. The workshop is part of the Seattle Design Festival and will be held Sept. 22, 6:30-9:30 p.m. in Gould Hall Court.

Related: Seattle needs to ‘swing for the fences’ to end homelessness

The event will address issues such as: Who should live at the site; how should the land be divided; what should be the rights and responsibilities of residents, city employees, and neighbors. Attendees will also address how the site should be designed to “add beauty to the neighborhood and benefit everyone who lives, shops, and works in and around the site.”

Though there’s no indication that the City of Seattle will actually use any of the designs explored during the workshop, this might give some Ballard residents hope that the site won’t be the eyesore they’ve been dreading. Residents have continued to fight the city’s proposal of having a homeless camp on such a busy street, right next to businesses that sell alcohol.

Then again, the workshop might also raise even more concerns for people in Ballard.

Design concepts for the workshop have already been published. The majority of them go beyond the temporary feel of tents by incorporating more permanent features. One design even shows tiny homes stacked on top of each other next to a community-type garden. Other designs show the reuse of freight containers.

With that in mind, those opposed to the idea of a homeless camp might further reject the students’ ideas. A tent camp is one thing, building tiny homes is something completely different.

Adding semi-permanent structures for homeless might be a step beyond a place to set up camp, but it’s not the solution some have said the City of Seattle needs. In fact, more and more homeless people are living in vehicles. And even with the three new proposed homeless camps, it doesn’t come near what the city needs to help its homeless population. According to the 2014 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, Seattle/King County has nearly 9,000 people living on the streets.

Maybe instead of designing a homeless camp on a site that residents are opposed to, the UW students can help the city determine the best place to build one. The students could even help the city understand why public input is important for neighborhood projects.