FOLLOWUP: What the city says about this week’s two West Seattle encampment sweeps

Three days after a death at the encampment near Rotary Viewpoint Park (35th/Alaska) and West Seattle Stadium, city crews swept the area – “resolution” is the official city term. But it wasn’t a reaction to the death; the city had told a reader – in November 7 communication on which we were CC’d – that the site was “elevated to be resolved soon, pending availability of the necessary shelter resources.” Then another reader told us late Wednesday that they had seen crews there earlier in the day. So we followed up with the city’s Unified Care Team spokesperson Kate Jacobs, who confirmed:

Rotary Viewpoint Park/West Seattle Stadium vicinity: The Unified Care Team completed resolutions at two unauthorized encampments in this area on December 3 after official notice was posted on November 29. UCT outreach counselors offered shelter and supportive services to all 30 people residing across the two locations. Four offers were accepted.

(WSB photo, 16th/Barton, Tuesday)

We also asked about the results of the city operation reported here Tuesday at 16th/Barton, long an RV encampment zone. Jacobs replied:

SW Barton: UCT outreach counselors offered shelter and supportive services to both individuals residing at this location. Neither offer was accepted.

Jacobs said that’s not the end of their work at those sites:

Outreach counselors will continue engaging with people who declined resources to learn more about each person’s needs and keep building trust. It often takes numerous interactions before someone is willing to accept services, shelter, or complete an assessment for permanent supportive housing.

The reader who tipped us about the stadium/Rotary Viewpoint Park sweep wondered if the people there had had much notice, so we asked Jacobs about the current policy:

UCT gives people as much notice as possible for a resolution. The amount of notice is determined by local regulations, the unique circumstances of each site, and available resources.

Sites that require 72-hour notice under the Multi-Department Administrative Rule (MDAR) receive at least that much notice and sometimes significantly more.

Immediate Hazards/Obstructions are situations in which UCT must act quickly due to health or safety risks, or because an encampment significantly obstructs access to public spaces. In these cases, UCT notifies individuals of the resolution when they arrive on site, typically providing 30 minutes of notice before work begins. Once immediate safety risks and hazards are addressed, UCT works to provide reasonable time for people to pack personal belongings and identify items they’d like UCT to store versus debris that can be thrown away. 

Sites that do not qualify for a 72-hour notice under MDAR and are not an immediate hazard or obstruction typically receive between 24 and 72 hours of notice.

DRW December 5, 2025 (2:05 pm)

Time to take a look at the encampment on Barton Pl. That’s a main pedestrian thoroughfare between Delridge and Westwood Village as well as Henderson St. The garbage and stolen bikes are starting to pile up.

DB40 December 5, 2025 (2:12 pm)

The embankment overlooking the Stadium at the bus stop is cluttered with what looks like encampment paraphernalia. Really a mess! Is this stuff from what was removed from Viewpoint Park sweep?

Tired December 5, 2025 (5:58 pm)

There is still access to the brambles area east as there has been no repair to the cut open cyclone fence visible east of 35th Ave SW. A tent is already back up just uphill from the totem pole on the grass 2pm today Fri. 12/5. Other tent campers have queued up with their stuff just below street level next to the 35th Ave SW & SW Avalon Way stop # 22820 northbound and just off sidewalk at north end of stop there. Another is using the parking area & south facing deck of Pecos Pit BBQ as a home base. No use in reporting the movements as the unhoused simply move about revolving back & forth. Even shanty’s burning like near the Home Depot are simply rebuilt.

Krista Kirkman December 5, 2025 (7:49 pm)

I don’t think camping drug addicts need years of outreach and trust building exercises from social workers . Its a waste of time and tax dollars. They don’t want to go to treatment: that’s the bottom line .We need to write tickets to campers . If they have enough money to buy drugs , they can pay for their camp spot . Get 3 tickets on record , they have to leave the city. No payment of tickets means , mandatory community service. 4 people out of 30 accepted services???? This is to low of a success rate . Zero people accepted services from outreach in RVs . 26 folks , plus RV tennents, refused assistance. I would say there’s 26 hard core drug addicts and RV tennents are also hard core addicts. Nothing and no one is going to change their minds ” have the come to Jesus meeting”. No quit wasting money , and time , to beg drug addicts to get treatment…… Just give them a ticket and assignment for mandatory community service, that day , or they need to leave the camping spot . Cannot camp in public spaces. Period. Did the 4 people who accepted shelter , go to a low or no barrier one ??? Did they have a drug or ETOH problem???? Did they accept treatment if they have an addiction???

Kyle December 5, 2025 (8:46 pm)

How many times can services be denied before you actually impound a vehicle? Or you know issue some consequences to change behavior.

1994 December 5, 2025 (9:37 pm)

“UCT outreach counselors offered shelter and supportive services to all 30 people residing across the two locations. Four offers were accepted.” How about shelter being required and not offered? Of course the service and shelter is not accepted because it is only suggested. How about the city requiring unhoused people be relocated to a shelter because they should not be allowed to camp anywhere they want. The community suffers with the years of ongoing offering of shelter and services – make it required.

k December 6, 2025 (8:50 pm)

There are 2500 shelter beds in this city for an estimated 20,000 homeless people. Are you going to require nine people sleep in each bed? Where are the belongings of those nine people going to fit? Probably not under that bed. And what about their pets? Now you have nine people and 2-3 cats+ dogs in each bed, plus all of their stuff under the bed. How do you decide which nine people get grouped together to sleep in each bed? Women who have experienced domestic violence or sexual violence are more likely to end up homeless. Do you think they’ll feel safe sharing space with eight strangers? What about the gay couple who has been harassed or abused in the past for their orientation. Do you think THEY will feel safe sharing space with seven strangers? There are a lot of reasons people decline the shelter offer, and they pretty much all boil down to the “shelter” that is offered is generally a spot on a waiting list, and the places that host the shelter beds often don’t feel safe for a variety of reasons. You can tell who on this blog has ZERO experience with homelessness and poverty and NO understanding of the system when they come on here preaching about mandatory services like that’s even possible. You might as well be rage posting that we give everyone a million dollars and a unicorn because that is LITERALLY just as feasible as requiring everyone contacted to take offers of shelter.

Ruby December 6, 2025 (3:17 pm)

They often offer the same few beds to the whole group but you need ID usually to enter shelters or get into transitional housing. people don’t trust the offers because often they are worse then keeping you autonomy. Regardless, There purely isn’t enough units to put everyone who is homeless into, just go look up the numbers we estimate and number of available units. in King county, units available a day are approximately 4-18 of different Specific types of housing. The need is 9 people to one unit.

Ruby December 6, 2025 (3:19 pm)

Not even starting on the back door exits of people in shelter to make room for the swept people. and that you can’t factually force adults into anything unless youre in support of concentration camps.

Ruby December 6, 2025 (3:24 pm)

If we have more housing for all income levels and community surrounding people who have clearly been thru traumatic situations and trauma in their life, because losing housing and becoming homeless is traumatic….then we will see an increase of successful outcomes and cheaper rents. but often times when a tiny home village, permanent supportive housing building, transitional housing or shelter are proposed to a neighborhood, the fight it a force it to rethink location often killing projects right there.

West Seattle Mad Sci Guy December 6, 2025 (8:07 pm)

They did what I assume was a secondary sweep of the West Seattle Stadium today. Glad they do follow-ups so encampments don’t just reform. Still a lot of garbage but it seems like less than before they came through this morning.

98126res December 6, 2025 (8:10 pm)

Mandatory drug rehabilitation and mental health treatment. Help them get their lives righted and back to health and society. Pray for them too that God and their guardian angels will help and guide their path. Like us, they were created in the image of God.

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