SEATTLE — The Seattle City Council has approved an ordinance allowing up to three new homeless encampments in the city.
The Seattle Times reported that each regulated site could hold as many as 100 people. They would be located on private land or city property and will be restricted to nonresidential areas.
The tent cities will be managed by a homeless shelter provider that has been reviewed by the city.
Mayor Ed Murray proposed the legislation in January. He said in a statement that it will provide a minimum level of safety and stability for hundreds of people without a home.
There’s been an increase in unauthorized camping in Seattle parks, alongside highways and under bridges, from 80 sites in 2012 to 351 last year.
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