(WSB photo: Camp Second Chance’s front gate, July)

First Sunday afternoon of the month usually brings the monthly online meeting of the Community Advisory Committee for West Seattle’s only city-sanctioned tiny-house encampment, Camp Second Chance, on the city-owned Myers Way Parcels [map]. Here’s what happened today:

CAMP UPDATE: CSC director Scott Harris wasn’t in attendance, so updated camp stats weren’t available, but Hattie Rhodes from camp operator LIHI was there with other updates. She said a city inspection is happening Tuesday afternoon to ensure that all’s well. She also said LIHI had a recent hiring fair and hopes to fill positions at encampments including CSC, which will be getting a “village organizer …. to help out at the camp.” They’re also still looking for a case manager, while serving campers with visiting CMs. Also – LIHI is opening new camps in other parts of the city and looking for more sites because “the need is still there.” She didn’t have exact numbers but said it was “exciting” to see some CSC residents move to housing at The Clay – a microapartment building owned by LIHI – to ‘take the next step in their journeys.” CAC chair Willow Fulton asked about the intake process for CSC. That’s primarily through the city’s HOPE Team, Rhodes said, but LIHI also has a waitlist in case an opening comes up at one of its camps and the HOPE Team can’t quickly fill it. What about referring someone currently living unsheltered? Refer them to the outreach workers at REACH, Rhodes suggested – she didn’t have a contact number but noted REACH has offices at 3rd/Blanchard. Rhodes was asked about CSC expansion, which Harris mentioned at the last meeting. She said “that’s not the hugest priority for us right now” though they might “see if there’s room here or there to add a few more (tiny) houses” at CSC.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS’ UPDATES: These updates often range beyond camp-related matters, and this time was no different. Aaron Garcia of the White Center Community Development Association wanted everyone to know that the county eviction-prevention/rent-assistance program is still open and WCCDA is assisting White Center families with getting into the process. He also said there’ll be a vaccination clinic at Steve Cox Memorial Park on August 18th; it’s meant to be second dose for those vaccinated at the recent clinic, but first doses will be available too, noon-6 pm … Cinda Stenger from the Westside Interfaith Network said the group is continuing to assist more than a dozen Central American refugee families who have settled in the area so if CSC hss extra clothing, they would appreciate being able to re-donate to the refugees (they’re also looking for kids’ clothing and other housewares) … Grace Stiller of Weed Warriors recapped the recent wrap party for the latest phase of her organization’s Myers Way Parcels wetland-restoration program (WSB coverage here); she’s looking ahead to Phase 3 of the restoration project, working closer to Hamm Creek, dependent on funding. … Chair Fulton, who’s been keeping watch on illegal dumping along Myers Way, says the most-recent ones have been cleaned up. Concerns remain about the safety of people walking along Myers Way, especially considering pedestrians are pushed farther into the road by the fencing set up to prevent access to the roadside greenbelt. Once again this month, though, no city rep was present to hear those concerns.

NEXT MEETING: September’s date is to be determined, since the first Sunday will be during Labor Day weekend.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

A potential expansion and a personnel shortage were part of what the Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Committee heard about this afternoon.

Camp Second Chance (9701 Myers Way S.) is the only city-sanctioned tiny-house encampment in West Seattle, close to the southeast city-limit line. The all-volunteer Community Advisory Committee meets monthly – currently, online – to hear updates and ask questions about camp operations. Meetings have usually been on first Sundays, but this month’s meeting was pushed back a week because of the holiday.

CAMP REPORT: Director Scott Harris (who is a LIHI employee) said CSC currently has 51 residents – 15 women, 36 men – and LIHI is looking to expand, adding up to 20 people (other tiny-house encampments, he said, are being eyed for expansion as well). The camp has space, he said, though this would mean adding tiny houses.

Read More

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Vaccination and relocation were among the updates at this month’s meeting of the Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Committee, held online this afternoon. CSC is the only city-supported tiny-house encampment in West Seattle, located on the city-owned Myers Way Parcels [map], managed and staffed by the Low-Income Housing Institute.

CAMP UPDATES: New manager Scott Harris (introduced last month) said May was a busy month. 57 residents are at CSC now: “40 men, 14 women, 3 gender-nonconforming people.” 5 exited in May – 4 who “just left,” 1 who found an apartment, 1 “involuntary exit after numerous violent episodes.” Five 911 calls, one related to the person who was booted; he was arrested that day. (He started causing trouble in November, Harris said, and was allowed to stay if he followed the rules, but did not.) The other four were medical calls.

Speaking of medical, a UW Health van was there today to offer care to camp residents, and tomorrow King County Public Health is coming for another vaccination clinic (second shots for more than a dozen people, first shots to those interested). Though they don’t have an official stat, he believes more than half the camp’s residents have started the vaccination process. The camp has not had any COVID cases. Also tomorrow, maintenance crews will be out to connect the showers (one trailer with two stalls) to permanent electric power so it won’t have to recharge a battery between showers. The camp also has three new grills – one donated by a former resident – so cooking capacity has been boosted.

More people are about to exit the camp for housing. José Ruiz has been working in case management and said housing had become available for camp residents he had placed on a waiting list for the LIHI-owned Clay Apartments microhousing building on Capitol Hill. At least 3 are moving soon – one has a moving date this week, two are waiting for the moving date; they’re working out some logistics for a fourth. Section 8 vouchers – also a program with a long waiting list – are becoming available to help people, too; Ruiz said four people from CSC got help from those, including two moving out of state, one moving to Renton. His work at the camp will be ramping down because a new case manager starts at CSC this week.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS’ UPDATES: Committee chair Willow Fulton, a resident in the camp vicinity, said they’re working to get others involved with the committee. Other members at today’s meeting were Alki UCC‘s Cinda Stenger and White Center CDA‘s Aaron Garcia, who had one announcement: WCCDA is hosting a Pride event 1-4 pm at Greenbridge Plaza on June 25th.

NEXT MEETING: First Sunday in July is Independence Day, so the meeting will be moved – Fulton will confer offline with committee members to decide on rescheduling.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

For the first time in two months, the Community Advisory Committee for West Seattle’s only city-sanctioned tiny-house encampment got an update on its operations.

Last month’s meeting had no one in attendance from camp operator LIHI or the city Human Services Department. This time, both were in attendance as the CAC met online on Sunday afternoon. The camp has been on the city-owned Myers Way Parcels on the southeast edge of West Seattle for almost five years.

Read More

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Change is ahead for Camp Second Chance, its Community Advisory Committee was told at this month’s online meeting.

Co-founder and site coordinator Eric Pattin announced he will be leaving that role at West Seattle’s only tiny-house encampment later this month to work in a new capacity with camp operator LIHI, as it opens the Executive Hotel Pacific enhanced shelter, which has 150 rooms, and will have intensive case management and be focused on rapid rehousing.

Read More

Camp Second Chance, at 9701 Myers Way S., remains West Seattle’s only city-sanctioned tiny-house encampment, though the city wants to add more around Seattle. CSC’s Community Advisory Committee meets every month for updates and community Q&A; here’s what happened at its February meeting, which happened online this past Sunday afternoon:

CAMP UPDATE: CSC’s site coordinator Eric Pattin said 54 people are there now, 15 women and 39 men. One person moved into affordable housing; two others left.

Read More

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Camp Second Chance, West Seattle’s only city-sanctioned tiny-house encampment, remains COVID-free.

That was one of the updates heard by the camp’s Community Advisory Committee in its monthly online meeting Sunday afternoon, which also featured a look inside the new tiny-house-building site in SODO that replaced the “big tent” at Camp Second Chance where volunteers built them previously.

CAMP UPDATE: Site coordinator Eric Pattin reported 53 people are now living at CSC (9701 Myers Way S.), 14 women, 39 men. Two people exited to affordable housing and two others left; all four were replaced by new arrivals.

Read More

(WSB file photo)

Camp Second Chance, West Seattle’s only city-supported tiny-house encampment, remains COVID-free. That’s one of the updates from this afternoon’s monthly online meeting of the Myers Way encampment’s Community Advisory Committee.

Here’s what else we heard:

Read More

(Photo courtesy Sound Foundations NW)

In addition to providing shelter for more than 50 people, Camp Second Chance on the city-owned Myers Way Parcels in southeast West Seattle has been contributing to other tiny-house encampments by hosting a space for building more of the small structures (after replacing all the tents at CSC, as we reported last year). The volunteer-powered operation, Sound Foundations Northwest, which sprung from the efforts of West Seattle’s Alki UCC and Fauntleroy UCC, has found a new home of its own.

Sound Foundations NW has announced a new partnership with the Low Income Housing Institute, which operates Camp Second Chance and other tiny-house encampments. A LIHI warehouse space in SODO will be the new home of the tiny-house-building operation. The announcement says, “This new partnership will help meet the demand of building several more tiny homes while getting homeless residents who are transitioning to permanent housing the essential services that have made this model a success.” No one living in a tiny-house encampment, for example, has tested positive for COVID-19, the organization says, while 440 people in other kinds of shelters have. Also, they cite a higher success rate of tiny-house encampment residents exiting into long-term or permanent housing.

Along with moving to a bigger space – 6,000 square feet, double the CSC space’s size – as of November 3rd, Sound Foundations NW is redesigning its building process to speed it up. Currently, they’ve been able to complete two tiny houses every three weeks. With an assembly-line system, Sound Foundations NW says, they could eventually build up to two a day – something they don’t believe anyone else in the country is doing. The operation is needed because while the city has supported the operation of tiny-house encampments like CSC (the only one in West Seattle), the city does not fund the tiny houses themselves – it’s all donation- and volunteer-supported, and hundreds more will be needed. (They have a fundraising campaign going to support the move.)

Once the operation is moved from what’s known as “The Big Tent” at CSC, Sound Foundations NW will donate the tent to the encampment to serve as its new community center.

The Community Advisory Committee for West Seattle’s only city-sanctioned tiny-house encampment is back to its regular first-Sunday meeting date this month, which means the Camp Second Chance CAC meets this Sunday (October 4th). It’s an online meeting, 2 pm Sunday, all welcome to bring questions/concerns. You can join via teleconference at this link, meeting ID 858 5523 4269, pw 9701. You can also use those codes if you listen by phone – 253-215-8782.

People at West Seattle’s only city-sanctioned tiny-house encampment are doing OK with the two current health crises – air quality and COVID-19 – so far.

So said Camp Second Chance‘s site coordinator during the monthly Community Advisory Committee meeting, held online Sunday afternoon.

Participants included, from the committee, chair Willow Fulton and members Cinda Stenger, Grace Stiller, Aaron Garcia, and Judi Carr. From Camp Second Chance, site coordinator/co-founder Eric Pattin was in attendance. But for at least the third month, no one was there to represent the city.

COMMITTEE MEMBER REPORTS: Fulton, who lives near CSC, said the Seattle Public Utilities temporary worksite just south of the camp on Myers Way (explained in last month’s report) seems to be expanding. “Other things on the street have been fairly quiet,” she added, and noted that dumping issues she reported in the past month were handled promptly. … Stenger noted that Alki UCC continues to organize twice-monthly food/clothing drives so if the camp finds itself with excess donations – as it has in the past – it can repurpose them. … Stiller said the grant-funded weed-removal project she’s organized, with camp residents’ participation, removed 33,000 square feet of invasive weeds and now has a pile of them that can be composted into mulch. She’s pursuing another grant to get the blackberry roots out and replant the area. … Garcia subsequently noted that Stiller won Burien’s “Citizen of the Year” award. He also said the King County Subarea Plan for North Highline is looking for residents’ input on issues that could include more support for affordable housing to help more people out of homelessness. … Carr said Arrowhead Gardens, the senior complex a few blocks north of the camp, has remained virus-free and is loosening its lockdown a little bit, recently bringing in a flu-shot clinic.

CAMP UPDATE: Pattin reported that 53 people are there – 15 women and 38 men. Four people have moved out into permanent housing, while four new people have arrived. “Spring cleaning” is starting, to get out some unneeded items like plywood that are cluttering the camp. Camp operator LIHI has provided a wireless security-camera system but CSC needs to find help installing it, so committee members will put the call out. He also said LIHI is planning to install a washer/dryer at the camp.

DISCUSSION/Q&A: Fulton asked.about COVID-19 testing at the camp, which was a question last month; Pattin said 16 people were tested “about a month ago” but he hasn’t heard anything about the results. No one’s shown any symptoms. The wildfire smoke hasn’t led to any health problems so far, either, he added. (It did lead to some cancellation of tiny-house building at the site, though.) They had one camper a few weeks back with an ongoing respiratory issue and got her an air purifier. … Though the original plan for Fauntleroy UCC to lease the camp site is no longer needed because of the change in city encampment rules, Rev. Leah Atkinson Bilinski said the church is still working on a Memorandum of Understanding with the city regarding ongoing support for the encampment. … Arrowhead Gardens reps say they had some crime problems – a break-in that affected more than a dozen storage units, plus a recent auto theft in the garage, so they wanted to give the camp a heads-up of trouble in the area.

NEXT MEETING: 2 pm Sunday, October 4th.

Just wrapped up online: The August meeting of the Community Advisory Committee for Camp Second Chance (map), West Seattle’s only city-sanctioned tiny-house encampment. No major news, but here are the toplines:

CAMP UPDATES: Site coordinator Eric Pattin said the camp has 56 residents now, 17 women, 39 men, including three new residents; one person recently exited to housing. New case manager Mario said several other residents are about to leave for housing, too. … Sound Foundations Northwest‘s tiny-house building on the site, with distancing and other health precautions, continues. The camp itself has been fully converted to tiny houses, so the newly built ones go to other encampments. … Asked if the camp has any needs, Pattin suggested wipes, disinfectant spray, and disposable masks would be helpful. He was also asked about COVID testing; still no positive tests, and no residents with symptoms, Pattin said.

COMMITTEE MEMBER UPDATES: Chair Willow Fulton said that aside from the city work next to the camp, things have been quiet.

That site is being used to filter wastewater from Seattle Public Utilities work – we inquired too after it was first brought up as a mystery last month, and the explanation from SPU was that it’s being used as a “decant” facility:

SPU Source Control conducts annual storm drainage line cleaning within the Lower Duwamish Waterway to remove accumulated pollutants from our pipes prior to these pollutants reaching the river. The work is conducted by a contractor using a vacuum-like Vactor truck and high pressure water hoses to rinse and capture materials from inside of the pipes. The material removed from these pipes is trucked to a decant facility where the solids are separated from the water used for cleaning by screening larger particles and settling out finer material.

The solid material is trucked off site for disposal at appropriate solid waste landfills and the liquids are sampled to ensure they meet allowable discharge limits, then disposed of to the sanitary sewer system.

Fulton was told it would be removed by fall, but the CAC agreed they have some environmental concerns to ask the city about … Elsewhere along Myers Way, some illegal dumping has continued and neighbors keep reporting it to the city … Committee member Grace Stiller says the project to remove noxious weeds near the camp “is going really, really well … making amazing progress.” Some wetland willows will be planted after the clearing is complete – that’s a “native butterfly plant,” Stiller said. … Aaron Garcia from the White Center Community Development Association and Judi Carr from nearby Arrowhead Gardens were in attendance too.

CITY: No city rep in attendance for a second consecutive monthly meeting.

COMMUNITY CONCERNS: An Arrowhead Gardens resident wondered how COVID prevention is going; Pattin explained their procedures, including mask-wearing. The resident also said there’s a problem with streetlight outages along Myers Way. … There was also some discussion about the lack of a safe crossing on Myers Way in the camp vicinity.

NEXT MEETING: Since the regularly scheduled “first Sunday” will be during the Labor Day weekend, the CAC might cancel or move it – that’ll be announced later this month.

Next Saturday will mark exactly 4 years since Camp Second Chance arrived on Myers Way, originally an unauthorized tent camp, eventually a city-sanctioned tiny-house village. The anniversary was mentioned briefly during this afternoon’s meeting of the CSC Community Advisory Committee. The committee usually meets on the first Sunday of the month, but pushed the date back a week because of the holiday.

CAMP UPDATE: Camp co-founder and site coordinator Eric Pattin said the camp currently has 55 residents – 37 men and 18 women; 2 people have exited to housing, and 6 new residents have moved in. Camp operator LIHI and Operation Sack Lunch is bringng hot food to the camp. … Josh Castle from LIHI said the new business tax approved by the City Council will help fund affordable housing and services. They’re advocating for budget measures next Wednesday to cover tiny-house encampments as well as permanent affordable housing. There are public-comment opportunities (online) next Monday and Wednesday. … We asked if there had been any COVID-19 cases at the camp; no, said Pattin. Everyone was tested “a month or two” back. Do new arrivals get tested before being referred? No one was certain whether that was part of the Navigation Team’s referral process; camp co-founder Eric Davis said it should be. … LIHI and Fauntleroy UCC are still talking about the official role the church will have with the camp, Castle said, since the recent change in city law means the original plan for partnership is no longer necessary to keep the camp from having to move,

CAC MEMBERS’ UPDATES: Chair Willow Fulton, who lives near the camp, reports “some activity on Myers Way” near the camp that appears to be city equipment storage on a site the size of the camp. No city rep was in attendance so no one was available to clarify; LIHI’s Castle will investigate. Meantime, she along with dumping on the east side of that street, noise, and racing problems. …Member Cinda Stenger thanked the camp for donating an oveerflow of donated men’s clothing, which she says has been given to the King County Drug Court‘s rehab program … Member Grace Stiller says the Myers Way weed-removal project is under way and “going terrifically well,” removing mostly blackberry and tansy after an online training session. The project, funded by a grant, is likely to continue through Saturdays in August.

COMMUNITY QUESTIONS/CONCERNS: In addition to the aforementioned COVID-testing discussion, there was a question about how LIHI is preparing for a possible surge in homelessness when the eviction moratorium expires. Advocating for the city to extend the moratorium, and to spend more on affordable housing, is something community members can do, Castle said. The King County Council meeting on Tuesday afternoon is another policy-advocacy opportunity, he said.

NEXT MEETING: The CAC will meet again at 2 pm Sunday, August 2nd.

The first Sunday of the month usually brings the monthly Community Advisory Committee meeting for Camp Second Chance, West Seattle’s only city-sanctioned encampment. Because of the holiday, the CAC meeting is delayed a week to next Sunday, July 12th, 2 pm. Here’s how to join:

Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 858 5523 4269
Password: 9701
By phone: 253 215 8782

Our coverage of past meetings, and the encampment itself, is archived here.

(WSB file photo)

The Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Committee met this afternoon via videoconference and phone, for updates on what’s happening at the tiny-house encampment in southeast West Seattle. Here are our toplines:

CAMP UPDATE: Camp co-founder and site coordinator Eric Pattin says 53 people are living there right now – 20 women, 33 men (the village has 49 tiny houses); referrals come from the city’s Navigation Team … 2 residents have moved out to affordable permanent housing … 2 new tiny homes have been placed … No cases of COVID-19 at the camp; they’ve had one round of testing (as noted last month) so far. … Two 911 calls this month, one for a disruptive resident who wound up being transferred to the encampment at Lake Union (which has behavioral-care services on site), one for a person who was having trouble with a seizure disorder. … The camp’s been getting so much food donated, including some it can’t use (baking mixes that require oven access, for example) that they’re working to get unneeded items donated in turn to the White Center Food Bank.

CAMP OPERATOR/SPONSOR UPDATE: Josh Castle of LIHI said two more tiny houses are being finished by Sound Foundations NW and Fauntleroy UCC volunteers. They’re building 2 houses every 3 weeks for other LIHI sites. Volunteers are still able to work at the site via a separate entrance in the back. “Weather, pandemic, whatever, they’re always there,” camp co-founder Eric Davis said in appreciation. A church representative wondered if the camp needs more fire extinguishers. Pattin said they’ll discuss, though they do already have at least 15 on site, in the residential and community areas. In Q&A, it emerged that the church/LIHI paperwork has not yet been finalized due to changing city ordinances regarding encampment sponsorships. They might instead enter into a Memorandum of Understanding regarding a partnership. …LIHI will be organizing advocacy for at least two upcoming City Council meetings related to funding for homelessness response, one this week, one on June 24th.

CITY UPDATE: Shawn Neal from the Human Services Department was on the call but had no specific CSC notes.

OTHER COMMITTEE UPDATES: Chair Willow Fulton keeps watch on her Myers Way neighborhood and noted there’s an illegal-dumping site that hasn’t been addressed lately … Cinda Stenger of Alki UCC/Westside Interfaith Network says the West Seattle Helpline – with which she also volunteers – needs men’s clothing, so the camp will go though its excess donations … Aaron Garcia of White Center Community Development Association says a project with “70-80 units of affordable housing” in WC is reaching the design phase and they are launching a small community group that will be meeting multiple times during the summer… Judi Carr of Arrowhead Gardens had nothing to report as they’re “staying quarantined” at the senior-living complex that’s just a few blocks north of Camp Second Chance … Grace Stiller said that she’s hoping to work with LIHI on getting the camp involved with grant-funded Weed Warriors and is ready to start scheduling training; Castle said they’ll make it happen. “It’s a pretty exciting thing … to do this work,” he said.

The Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Committee usually meets the first Sunday of the month; its members will confer soon to decide if they want to stick with that for July 5th, or reschedule.

(WSB file photo)

Everyone at Camp Second Chance – the city-sanctioned tiny-house encampment in southeast West Seattle – got tested for COVID-19 when a mobile testing team visited last week. That was part of the news at this mnnth’s meeting of the CSC Community Advisory Committee, held online this past Sunday afternoon.

Camp co-founder/site coordinator Eric Pattin said the testing van from Swedish visited on Friday, and they’re expecting results later this week. No one has been showing symptoms, he added.

In his general camp update, he said 49 people are at Camp Second Chance right now, 17 women and 32 men. 1 person moved out to permanent housing this past month.

Another milestone for the encampment was shared by reps from Fauntleroy UCC, the camp’s new sponsor: It’s taken over oversight of tiny-home building from Alki UCC, which had long been wrangling that. (CSC has a large area where volunteers have built tiny houses for other sites, too.) Otherwise, the church is still working on what kind of programming to provide, as well as still finalizing documents with LIHI, which manages CSC.

No major updates from CAC members; no one from the city participated, nor was there any community comment from non-committee members.

As for the camp’s needs, Pattin expressed gratitude for community donations and asked that no one bring clothing – they have far more than they need. Food is always welcome, though, especially cans (chili, ravioli, etc.).

The meeting only ran about 20 minutes; the CAC will continue meeting at 2 pm on first Sundays, so the next meeting will be June 7th.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

No cases of COVID-19 are reported at southeast West Seattle’s tiny-house encampment Camp Second Chance, but the pandemic has affected life at CSC in a few ways.

That was part of the discussion as the Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Committee met by videoconferencing and phone on Sunday afternoon.

The camp’s status was presented during the 40-minute meeting by site coordinator Eric Pattin.

Read More

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Pedestrian safety and coronavirus concerns were two of the topics when the Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Committee met Sunday afternoon for updates on and discussion of the city-sanctioned tiny-house encampment on Myers Way.

But first:

CAMP UPDATE: Eric Davis, camp co-founder and special projects manager for operating organization LIHI, said CSC currently has 49 people – 17 women and 32 men. This past month has seen two move into permanent housing.

Read More

As city leaders consider loosening the rules to allow more tiny-house encampments, West Seattle’s lone authorized encampment Camp Second Chance continues to do well, according to updates at its monthly Community Advisory Committee meeting on Sunday afternoon.

CAC UPDATES: A larger group than usual was present at the front of the room, and each offered an update at introduction time:

Read More

The Community Advisory Committee for Camp Second Chance usually meets the first Sunday afternoon of each month, but instead of this Sunday, the February meeting will be on the second Sunday: 2 pm February 9th, in the community room on the east side of Arrowhead Gardens (9220 2nd SW). If you have questions or concerns about West Seattle’s lone city-authorized tiny-house encampment, that’s the place to bring them. Our past coverage is archived here.