BURIEN, Wash. — The City of Burien voted to approve the unlawful public camping ordinance 4-3 on Monday evening.
The ordinance will go into effect Nov. 1 and was created to respond to the growing homelessness crisis Burien faces.
Under the new ordinance, public camping will be prohibited from using nonresidential public property as a temporary or permanent dwelling, lodging residence, or living accommodation, outside of overnight hours. Exceptions will be made for places designated by the city.
Deputy Mayor Kevin Schilling said violating the ordinance would be a misdemeanor, but would not lead to an arrest.
"You're still allowed to be able to legally sleep in a tent overnight but we are just regulating the use of public space. We're timing it so you can sleep at night but not have permanent structures up," Deputy Mayor Schilling said. "The ultimate goal, first and foremost, is getting people off the streets and into shelters and services."
However, it takes money to house people experiencing homelessness. The deputy mayor wants state and federal leaders to step up their financial contributions to help smaller cities deal with homelessness.
"We're a small city with a small budget and a small staff. City governments don't run everything that needs to happen, that needs to be done. It's really up to larger governments with larger funding streams, bigger staff, and the ability to put programs in place," he said.