‘Camp Second Chance is operating well at this location’: City announces permit-extension decision

Just in – the long-awaited city decision on another year at the Myers Way Parcels for West Seattle’s only city-sanctioned encampment:

The Human Services Department (HSD) recommends extending the permit for the Myers Way (also known as Camp Second Chance) permitted village to remain at 9701 Myers Way South for an additional 12 months, until March 2019.

HSD considered the following criteria in making this decision:

Is the program meeting the performance measures as described in the City contract?
Number of unduplicated homeless individuals/families that meet their emergency or immediate shelter needs
Percentage of homeless households who exit to permanent housing
Does the property exhibit physical deterioration that could pose a serious threat to the residents, neighbors or long-term uses?
Are there significant unforeseen impacts on the surrounding community that are directly attributed to the presence of the permitted encampment village?
The HSD contracted site operator, Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI), is required to utilize the Seattle-King County Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to collect program level data. Since March 2017, when it received a city permit, 139 people who had been living unsheltered have been served at Camp Second Chance. In addition, the data shows that 26% of people who have left the Camp, exited to move into permanent housing.

HSD, in conjunction with other city entities, has determined the property at 9701 Myers Way South is not exhibiting physical deterioration, and the property is safely hosting this village.

Camp Second Chance is operating well at this location and should remain in place for an additional 12-months.

On the city website, the decision explanation above is followed by an FAQ – read it here. The camp first moved onto the city-owned property without authorization in summer 2016 and became sanctioned/funded more than half a year later.

13 Replies to "'Camp Second Chance is operating well at this location': City announces permit-extension decision"

  • Buttercup June 7, 2018 (4:22 pm)

    So glad that C2C is getting their extension. I am disappointed that only  26 people transition into permanent housing. Hoped for better.

    • WSB June 7, 2018 (5:12 pm)

      Having covered the Community Advisory Committee meetings for many months now, I would point out that they were without a case manager for some time – then LIHI brought in one who left soon thereafter – and now they have a case manager who reported at last Sunday’s meeting that they had placed 7 people in the preceding month – without that, the total would likely look worse – TR

      • Buttercup June 7, 2018 (8:18 pm)

        So glad to hear that they will have a caseworker who sounds like he i on top of things. Good job LIHI!

  • Tophat Resident June 7, 2018 (5:27 pm)

     I hope that C2C can stay in our neighborhood for as long as possible. They have been a positive influence in our community. Unlike those meth addicted “bush people” and the RV vagabonds that live across the street from C2C that do nothing but rob our neighborhood and trash the forest they live in. When is the S.P.D. going to sweep that filth from our community?

    • WSB June 7, 2018 (5:29 pm)

      The endless “other side of the street” issue is part of the FAQ I mention/link above.

  • Mark Ufkes June 7, 2018 (10:46 pm)

    Good news indeed.  These Camp Second Chance folks are working to stay on a healthy path.  Now I will work with our Boy Scouts to install a mini home for the camp, now that it will be there another year.   The other side of the street is another matter.  Those unsanctioned camps are filthy and it is inhuman to leave people there.  For some people, tough love is the only thing that works.  If they are not interested in getting on a better path, move them out, clean it up, and keep them out.  Mark Ufkes 

  • Sheila G June 7, 2018 (11:26 pm)

    I believe that’s ‘26% of 139 people’ have moved to permanent housing, NOT ‘26 people’.  So that would be 36 people, not 26. Personally I think that’s a good number for the first year of this effort.

  • Sheila G June 7, 2018 (11:30 pm)

    Oops. It’s ‘26% of those who have LEFT the camp’. I wonder how many have left the camp?

  • Kirk B June 8, 2018 (9:21 am)

    HA! Well that is a very sneaky way of reporting “success.” Typical of the way our city council and their partners operate. Can we please have an honest and transparent accounting of how these programs are working instead of nonsense like this?

  • flimflam June 8, 2018 (10:06 am)

    there was no doubt it would get renewed – all of the sanctioned camps get renewed. there is talk of a “review” and decision, etc but they all get renewed. they also all claim that the camps have absolutely nothing to do with the magnet effect of drawing more campers/etc to the nearby area.

  • BlairJ June 8, 2018 (11:46 am)

    The statistic I would like to see is a reduction in the number of people entering homelessness.

  • Gretchen June 11, 2018 (9:19 pm)

    Is anyone shocked by this? They were never at risk of not getting an extension. The City Council does what the City Council wants.

    • WSB June 11, 2018 (9:29 pm)

      This was a decision by the Human Services Department, not the City Council.

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