In an end-of-week email addressed to “Highland Park Neighbors” (with blind CCs including us), the city’s Unified Care Team says it will “resolve” three South Delridge encampment areas in the next month:
Based on the availability of resources, UCT is scheduled to resolve the following locations by mid-February:
*SW Barton St from 15th Ave SW to 17th Ave SW
*SW Barton St to 18th Ave SW to Delridge Way SW
*SW Cambridge St from 15th Ave SW to 16th Ave SW
The email goes on to tell recipients:
We appreciate your patience in the lead up to the resolution of these sites. The City’s contracted outreach partners will be actively engaging at the sites to make offers of shelter and provide connections to services. Due to the region’s limited shelter availability, these connections can take some time, but our goal is to prevent the displacement of high-needs individuals into other parts of the neighborhood or repopulation of these sites.
UCT has been and will continue to provide regular site cleanings to the above sites as well as other areas in Highland Park in hopes of mitigating public impact by removing trash, debris, and dangerous objects like propane tanks. Our teams regularly work in this area, conducting site inspections and continually evaluating sites for resolution as site conditions change and resources become available.
Seattle’s Parking Enforcement Officers (PEOs) are working to address the recent service requests reporting lived-in or abandoned vehicles as well as conducting proactive enforcement of any non-compliant vehicles in the area. City parking ordinances require vehicles to move at least one block face every 72-hours to be considered compliant. UCT works to keep lived-in vehicles moving and in compliance, however we understand that this can be frustrating as vehicles may remain in your neighborhood even if they are moving regularly. If you have submitted a customer service request for an abandoned vehicle that was closed as a duplicate request, please know PEOs will still be addressing the location in your request.
Please note that parking violation and ordinances apply to all vehicles equally – they do not differentiate between lived in and non-lived-in vehicles. However, under Washington state and federal law, there are extra protections extended to persons living in vehicles to protect their privacy interest. Because of that and absent extraordinary circumstances, a law enforcement officer may not enter an occupied/lived-in vehicle without an approved warrant. An occupied, non-compliant vehicle cannot be safely moved without this process occurring.
The Highland Park area will continue to be frequently inspected and reassessed for resolution and trash mitigation services based on the level of activity observed. If you observe new or worsening encampments, please report it using the Customer Service Bureau’s Unauthorized Encampment service request form or submit a service request using the City’s Find It, Fix It mobile app. As always, dangerous or criminal activity should be reported to 9-1-1 including drug use, theft, and trespassing.
Community groups who are interested in potentially activating a public space or public right-of-way in your neighborhood can contact UCT’s community liaison Tom Van Bronkhorst (tom.vanbronkhorst@seattle.gov) to discuss how the City may be able to support you and your neighbors in options for restoring a frequently encamped space for public use.
This arrived too late in the day/week for followup but next week we’ll also be asking the UCT about the status of the 8th/9th/Henderson area, which despite a recent city operation continues to be the area that people most often mention to us.
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