Encampment removal was scheduled to start this week. The clean up and removal area for the latest one is in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood. Notices were posted around the encampment asking people to remove their things from the area. King County Regional Homelessness Authority stated that out of the 35 people originally living in this encampment, 30 of them have already been placed in hotel rooms, shelters and tiny houses.
Much of the encampment is on Washington State Department of Transportation property near the 1st Avenue South drawbridge on the south side of the Duwamish Waterway. The area is packed with broken-down cars, abandoned tents and trash build up.
According to the KCRHA, this marks the fifth encampment on state property to be cleared in the city. With less than two days before its the cleaning begins, Vanwolvelaere is having to look for other options.
Some good news is that nearly everyone who lived at the encampment has been connected to some form of housing. Out of the 35 people originally identified at the site, 30 have since moved into housing, and CoLEAD is working to help three others. Only two people turned down offers of help. To break it down:
-20 went into converted hotels or single-unit rooms.
-5 are living in tiny homes.
-4 people are sharing a dorm.
-1 person has a plan for housing down the road and is temporarily at a hotel.
Teams from CoLEAD, an outreach group working with the city and the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, have been working at the encampment for weeks identify people’s needs and matching them with appropriate services and housing.
