(Photo from email sent to city)

In the past two and a half months, the city has cleared longrunning West Seattle RV encampment sites, including 26th/28th/Andover, West Marginal Place, and the northbound side of Harbor Avenue, as well as the tent encampment at Rotary Viewpoint Park/West Seattle Stadium. But the cluster of encampments in North Delridge’s 26th/28th/29th/Juneau/Brandon area remain, even after high-profile area crimes including a murder (though we still don’t know if last week’s sexual assault was related, as police have not released anything more about the suspect whose arrest they announced Friday). We’ve been cc’d on numerous email chains initiated by area residents, some of which initially drew city replies, but more recently have not. Concerns the residents voiced include not just the aforementioned crimes but also fires and ongoing problems from illegally parked vehicles and items obstructing streets to stolen cars being stripped, plus a recent discovery of registered sex offenders in the area.

We asked the city’s homelessness-response spokesperson Linda Robson about the area at the end of last week. She told us, “An inspection team was sent to the 26th/Juneau/28th/Brandon area (Friday, August 19th) to get an up-to-date assessment. The Unified Care Team database currently lists a handful of reported encampment sites in the general area that have been somewhat fluid, so getting a current and accurate assessment of the larger area will be the first step for the team when it comes to doing any kind of remediation or site removal work.”

We also emailed West Seattle/South Park City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, with whom people upset about the encampments are now trying to arrange a meeting. We asked if the situation was even on her radar, as we haven’t seen it mentioned in her weekly newsletters. She replied that it’s “very much on my radar.” She also had been told about the Unified Care Team’s assessment. She added: “I share the concern about safety, especially given the fire, shooting death, and rape in recent weeks. In late July I spoke with the SW Precinct Captain about this location, before the fire.” She noted that, as we reported three weeks ago, there had been some city response at 26th/Juneau. And she said, “The Precinct Captain also told me how people living unsheltered in the area had helped in the shooting investigation, leading to the identification of the murder suspect for arrest.” As for the sites’ status, Herbold wrote, “Once specific locations come to the attention of the City: the City’s Unified Care Team assesses them and prioritizes them for a response, which could range from providing outreach and cleaning services, to scheduling a removal. I have advocated for clarity about criteria so the public can have the opportunity to understand how sites across the city are prioritized for action.” Asked how she’s responding to constituents’ concerns, she attached an example exchange from early August with a North Delridge resident (not one of the chains we’ve been cc’d on) voicing similar concerns. Her response included information on how to report encampment-related concerns plus this caveat “Because encampments reported to the City may not be prioritized for a City response, my office also conveys concerns from constituents about specific locations to local outreach workers who are funded to work in District 1, who visit residents to offer resources, referrals and information. There is no guarantee that 1) the individual will be at the encampment when the outreach worker initially visits, 2) appropriate indoor shelter is immediately available, or 3) referrals will be accepted in the short term.”

So it appears the next step on the North Delridge encampment cluster is whatever decision the Unified Care Team makes. We’ll be following up. (We also have an inquiry out about the RV encampment along 16th SW by South Seattle College, which has grown.)