As we’ve been reporting, the city is about to launch another “remediation” at the 6+-year-old mostly-RVs encampment along SW Andover between 26th and 28th SW. The remediations in December and April only resulted in junk removal, but there are indications this one will be more sweeping. Last night, we reported on an announcement from West Seattle Health Club that it had been told the area will be entirely cleared. We’ve gone through the area three times today to look for signs of advance preparations; we saw one trailer being towed from the west side of WSHC by a pickup truck, and noticed green tags along with orange tags on the vehicles, all titled FINAL NOTICE. And early this evening, we received this from Seattle Public Utilities spokesperson Sabrina Register, from whom we had requested details of the plan:
On June 13, parking enforcement officers visited SW Andover St between 26th Ave SW and 28th Ave SW to provide 72-hour notification to RV and vehicle occupants of the exact area that needed to be free of vehicles so Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) crews could perform an RV Remediation to thoroughly clean the area and dispose of trash and debris on June 16. At the time of the notification, there were 15 RVs, 11 vehicles and one utility trailer.
Additionally, to address a nearby sidewalk obstruction due to an encampment, the City posted a notice on June 14 that all personal items must be removed from the encampment by June 16.
For almost a month, the HOPE Team, within the Human Services Department that coordinates homelessness outreach and referrals to shelter, in coordination with the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) and outreach providers, including REACH, LEAD, Urban League, Catholic Community Services’ SCOPE Team, St. Vincent de Paul’s RV Project, and the Scofflaw Mitigation Team, have been intensifying outreach to this area to connect those residing onsite in vehicles and in the encampment with vehicle maintenance support and offers of shelter and services.
As of June 15, these outreach efforts have resulted in at least nine referrals to 24/7 enhanced shelter spaces or tiny houses. For additional details on these coordinated outreach efforts, please reach out to KCRHA, who also recently awarded a contract to the Low-Income Housing Institute (LIHI) to develop a safe lot program.
With a focus on addressing public health and safety, SPU performs multiple RV Remediations monthly in different areas of the City. Staff do site assessments where there are five or more RVs in one location. The assessments help the City determine which areas should be prioritized for cleanup.
At least three days prior to the remediation, temporary “no parking” signs are placed at the location, letting the public know about parking restrictions for a particular time period. SDOT staff follow up with direct outreach to RV occupants starting 72 hours prior to a remediation.
If a car is towed from a public street, instructions to locate the vehicle and documents required to release the vehicle are available online. The first step to find and reclaim a vehicle is to call Lincoln Towing at 206-364-2000 or search for the vehicle on Lincoln Towing’s www.SeattleImpound.com website. More information on 72-hour parking enforcement can be found here: City of Seattle 72-Hour On-Street Parking Ordinance – Transportation | seattle.gov.
Any personal items remaining on June 16, will be stored per City policy. People can retrieve their items by calling 206-459-9949, and we will work with individuals to make arrangements for delivery.
The count of 15 RVs matches what we observed this afternoon. Meantime, we had also asked City Councilmember Lisa Herbold and her staff on Friday for any details of the plan, as she had previously mentioned she planned to meet with the mayor’s office. She sent us this reply today:
I have been in regular contact with both the HOPE Team at the City’s Human Services Department, and Marc Dones, ED of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, as well as communicating with housed neighbors reaching out to my office. HSD and KCRHA met with Nucor and the Alki Beach Academy last week, I was in on that meeting and I have been advocating that we address – before enforcement of the parking prohibition scheduled this week – the urgent needs and requests of the people living in RVs and tents in the area, including a dumpster to help with trash as well rats, repairs for the vehicles, and facilitating the opportunity to visit Camp Second Chance, where 20 new tiny houses will soon be available.
Camp Second Chance is West Seattle’s only city-supported tiny-house encampment, on Myers Way in southeasternmost West Seattle.
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