One week after state and city crews started clearing the encampment site between northeast Myers Way and southbound Highway 509, Governor Jay Inslee visited this afternoon to see what had been done so far.
It’s one of 30 state highway/freeway-adjacent sites statewide addressed by the Right Of Way Safety Initiative, which Inslee declared “is working.” (Also cleared as part of the initiative was the infamous 2nd/Michigan encampment by the West Seattle side of the 1st Avenue South Bridge.) Before the governor’s arrival, we talked with reps from several departments and agencies to get some numbers.
First: Though outreach workers had previous said more than 50 people were identified as living at the camp, they ultimately revised that number to 36, saying the camp was often “very active” with visitors and they eventually settled on a lower number of residents after early-morning visits gave them a clearer picture. Of those, 30 have been placed in housing, according to outreach workers. Some of that is hotel-room-type housing, some is permanent supportive housing, some is temporary shelter – 1 person was even placed at Camp Second Chance, the (usually full) tiny-house village a short distance south on Myers Way.
The original vehicle count on the site was 43, and three of those were confirmed as stolen. About half the vehicles remain on site, now abandoned and – at least the ones we saw close-up – uninhabitable. We’re told notices have been sent to their registered owners, giving them 15 business days to retrieve them, or else they’ll be either towed or demolished on site.
Another number: 1,000. That’s how many hours the governor was told that workers have put in on the site. Regarding what’s going to be done to keep it from being re-occupied, we’re told the concrete barriers along Myers Way will be put back in place, and a fence will be put up from the north end of Myers Way down to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints property south of the encampment.
Aside from the abandoned, not-yet-removed vehicles (and boat), the site appeared mostly clear, except for small debris like screws and nails visible in the dirt as we walked around. The governor also paused during the tour to make a statement and answer media questions, during which he declared, “This encampment has been eliminated,” adding that the initiative isn’t just about getting “squalor” out of sight, but also about getting people into housing:
Among the next steps is a followup meeting with residents of Arrowhead Gardens, the senior-living complex across the street, which campaigned for many months to get action taken. Resident rep Diane Radischat was there to talk with Inslee:
The followup meeting is planned for September 25th.
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