By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

2020 will be the fourth full year on the Myers Way Parcels for city-supported tiny-house encampment Camp Second Chance.

The year’s first monthly meeting of the CSC Community Advisory Committee happened this afternoon at Arrowhead Gardens, a few blocks north of the encampment. Here’s what happened:

CAMP UPDATES: Co-founder/site cooordinator Eric Davis said 51 people are now at the camp, occupying 45 houses with five more being replaced. No one has exited to housing this past month, but Davis said at least four people are likely to be moving out soon, as they just got vouchers. Five of the 50 tiny houses are being replaced; Davis explained that they’re the oldest ones, donated to CSC from another village, Davis said, and had mold and other safety issues.

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By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

A week and a half after Fauntleroy Church‘s sponsorship of Camp Second Chance was announced (WSB coverage here), the tiny-house encampment’s Community Advisory Committee met this afternoon.

Turnout was light as usual, and no major community concerns surface. The meeting yielded some updates, though:

SPONSOR UPDATES: Fauntleroy Church’s pastor Rev. Leah Atkinson Bilinski was at the meeting, telling the committee, “My church is really excited to enter into this important relationship” with the camp. She said the church has launched an Implementation Task Force to decide what sort of “programming” it can provide for the camp.

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By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The tiny-house encampment Camp Second Chance will stay on the city-owned Myers Way Parcels at least one more year beyond the end of its current permit extension next March – with one big change:

The city will lease the land currently being used for the camp to Fauntleroy Church, which will take on the camp as what its pastor Rev. Leah Bilinski describes as a “missional outpost.”

This was announced at tonight’s public meeting about the encampment’s future, held at the city Joint Training Facility, a few blocks north of the site the camp’s been on for more than three years. (We recorded video of the meeting and will add it when it’s ready – update, both clips added inline below.)

The church and city reached a deal earlier this week – after the Fauntleroy congregation voted on Sunday to move ahead – but would not confirm it until tonight’s announcement; we had an embargoed conversation with Rev. Bilinski in advance. This had been months in the making, and the city had made no secret – as we reported back in June – that finding a faith-based sponsor would be an option. (CSC got its start at a church in unincorporated King County before moving to West Seattle in the summer of 2016.)

As explained by both the pastor and the city, the agreement is a draft right now, to be finalized within the next few months. LIHI remains the camp operator, with a contract with the city (we have a request out for the current amount of city money it receives), and “the city will continue to monitor the village for compliance and performance.” LIHI will also have an agreement with the church, spelling out who’s accountable for what in the partnership.

Speaking to the meeting tonight, Rev. Bilinski said, “We’re doing this because our faith calls us to follow Christ” – to stand with people in need, including those who are homeless, and -“we believe in the residents of Camp Second Chance … I don’t know a person who has walked into Camp Second Chance without being impressed,” and hopeful. It’s a strong community, she declared, “and we’re delighted to be a part of that.” Read More

(WSB photo from June)

If you’re interested in the city-sanctioned “tiny house village” encampment on the Myers Way Parcels, Camp Second Chance, tomorrow night is the first major city-convened meeting about it in more than a year. In September, the city announced it had extended the camp’s permit another 6 months; what happens after that is expected to be discussed at tomorrow’s meeting, which was announced a month ago. It’s happening 6:30-8 pm Thursday (November 21st) at the Joint Training Facility (9401 Myers Way S.), a few blocks north of Camp Second Chance, which has been on Myers Way almost three and a half years. As of the most-recent Community Advisory Committee meeting, 33 men and 17 women were living at CSC.

Short meeting this afternoon for the Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Committee – two members were there, along with, one camp rep, three community members (including John Walling, who records all the meetings on audio). The designated city rep was ill but sent committee chair Willow Fulton a reminder of the November 21st meeting the city is convening to discuss the camp’s future.

CSC site manager/co-founder Eric Davis brought an update on the camp status: 50 residents, down 5 from last month, 33 men and 17 women. Three people “transferred” (to different tiny-house villages in the city), he said, and two left to reunite with their families. He said the camp had one 911 call this past month, for “a medical issue” (records show that was on October 27th, while there was one call from outside the gate on October 13th). No one was “permanently barred” for violations during October.

Asked whether the impending closure of a tiny-house village in Northlake will affect CSC, Davis said they would probably take in “five or six” people to help ensure no one winds up on the street.

In community updates, Fulton also mentioned the kitchen project at the camp, as well as fast city response to illegal dumping at other sites along Myers Way … Committee member Cinda Stenger from Sound Foundations NW said the nonprofit is undergoing a leadership transition but has money available to build more tiny houses where/when needed. … Davis was asked what the camp needs and he says the community’s been very generous but if you are wanting to help, hand warmers, blankets, and canned goods are always useful.

AUDIO: You can listen to the meeting recording here:

WHAT’S NEXT: The city meeting about CSC is at 6:30 pm Thursday, Nov. 21, at the Joint Training Facility (9401 Myers Way S.) … the next Community Advisory Committee meeting is at 2 pm Sunday, December 1st, in the community room at Arrowhead Gardens (9200 2nd SW).

The city’s long-promised meeting about Camp Second Chance‘s future has finally been announced: 6:30 pm Thursday, November 21st, at the Joint Training Facility (9401 Myers Way S.), a short distance north of the encampment. CSC is now in its fourth year on the city-owned Myers Way Parcels. In September, shortly after announcing another six-month extension for its permit to be there, the city said that if they don’t reach an agreement with a potential “faith-based sponsor,” they’ll start planning to dismantle the camp. But in the meantime, there’s also a city proposal to dramatically increase the number of this type of “tiny-house village” encampments citywide. CSC started with tents, but with donated materials and labor, its dwellings were all converted to “tiny houses.” As of last month, 55 people were living at CSC.

(WSB photo from June)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The city permit for sanctioned West Seattle encampment Camp Second Chance has been extended six more months, to March 2020.

The city quietly announced in an online update Friday afternoon. We learned about it today at the start of the monthly C2C Community Advisory Committee meeting.

Lisa Gustaveson from the city Human Services Department was at the meeting to elaborate. The city is still talking with a possible faith-based “sponsor” for the camp, she said (as also mentioned in the city-website post) but if that doesn’t come through, the city will start moving to dismantle the camp: “We would work very closely to find places for every person to go to … to find permanent housing or be referred to another program that works for them.”

Tom Van Bronkhorst of the city Department of Neighborhoods said the city is working toward an October community meeting at the Joint Training Facility, which is just north of the camp, to talk about C2C’s future.

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When the Community Advisory Committee for city-sanctioned West Seattle encampment Camp Second Chance met earlier this month (WSB coverage here), they expected the city would call a wider community meeting about C2C’s future, so they canceled the September committee meeting. But now it’s back on – a week later than usual – because the city so far hasn’t organized a wider community meeting. So the CAC meeting (usually on 1st Sundays, but that falls during the holiday weekend) is set for 2 pm Saturday, September 7th, with this focus: “This month we will have representatives present from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and the Human Services Department providing a status on the permit for Camp Second Chance.” (Its previously announced six-month extension is about to expire.) The committee will meet in the usual location, the Arrowhead Gardens (9200 2nd SW) community room, all welcome.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

On the way to today’s Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Committee, we were in an Arrowhead Gardens elevator with former camp resident Zsa Zsa, who remarked that she’d just visited C2C and noticed a lot of new faces – because others had exited to housing, as had she.

How many? At the meeting, the city-sanctioned camp’s manager/co-founder Eric Davis announced the latest numbers:

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By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The east side of Myers Way is being resettled by unauthorized campers, for the first time since last fall’s major sweep, the Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Committee heard today.

While that side of Myers Way is not part of the camp, nor is it an official part of the CAC’s scope, it’s a frequent topic at the committee meetings.

Chair Willow Fulton, who lives near C2C, was first to mention it during the Sunday afternoon meeting.

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(WSB photo, Friday)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Before Camp Second Chance moved to Myers Way three years ago, it was hosted by a church.

Now a faith-based affiliation might be in its future.

Sunday’s Community Advisory Committee meeting at nearby Arrowhead Gardens brought that bit of news, as well as a reiteration of the milestone we reported earlier in the weekend – that the last tent had been replaced with a “tiny house.”

That was a big part of the camp update presented by resident manager/site coordinator Eric Davis offered the update:

His voice broke as he marveled at the amount of support that’s been expressed by the community. “We just want to have that level of success go toward the rest of the organizations that are struggling.” He also said the shower trailer should be ready to go in a few days once the graywater tank arrives. And he confirmed there’s a new case manager on site, though he was not at the meeting.

CITY UPDATE: Shawn Neal from the city Human Services Department said his colleague Lisa Gustaveson has been looking for a faith-based organization to sponsor Camp 2nd Chance. No further details, but later in the meeting, he said that could enable an extension for the camp at the Myers Way Parcels site, where it’s passed the 2-year limit promised when it became city-sanctioned. CAC member Cinda Stenger said she knows of one faith-based organization that’s “looking at taking over the lease of the land” but she didn’t identify it or comment further. A faith-based sponsor would not replace LIHI as the camp’s contract-holder with the city, Neal said.

We sought further details from HSD today but they have none to disclose, spokesperson Meg Olberding said:

We recognize that the faith-based community is an important part of the safety net and response to homelessness in our city. Many members of the faith-based community do this great work on their own and with other agencies or entities in the community. In order to better coordinate this effort, the City has been engaging with members of the larger faith community about how to work better together in addressing homelessness in a variety of ways. Nothing concrete to share at this time, as we are in the conversation stages.

Local churches have led the way in support for Camp Second Chance, from advocacy to funding and building tiny houses.

COMMITTEE UPDATES: Chair Willow Fulton says things have been quiet and clean. One RV was on Myers Way Sunday and they’ll keep an eye on it. She’s hoping to rally her fellow nearby residents for a roadside cleanup soon. The “major stuff” is already cleaned up, so she hopes neighbors will contribute to the not-so-major cleanup. She’s also looking into “street adoption” rules. You have to commit to a mile, for a year, at least four cleanups, before the recognition signage (“this street adopted by” etc.) can go up, Fulton said. She’s hoping local businesses along Myers Way and vicinity will join in too … Aaron Garcia from the White Center Community Development Association elaboratec on the Refresh cleanup – 50+ volunteers will be in the camp and along Myers Way, painting some tiny houses, cleaning up along Myers Way, 9 am-1 pm on June 8th. He also talked about White Center Pride events next week, and an Art Walk 6-9 pm June 5th, with the Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery in South Delridge a major hub for it; the White Center Chamber of Commerce is organizing … Stenger, with Sound Foundations NW and Alki UCC, reiterated gratitude and appreciation for the volunteers and donations that made the tiny-house-building possible … Grace Stiller with two local environmental groups had no major updates but offered gratitude. She also said the Nature Stewards have gloves they can lend for the upcoming cleanup.

COMMENTS/CONCERNS/QUESTIONS: CAC member Garcia wondered about the city’s promises of activating the east-side greenbelt after last fall’s cleanup. Stiller said that there seem to be no particular plans because the land is mostly state, not city.

NEXT MEETING: First Sunday in July falls at the end of the 4th of July weekend, so CAC members will confer via e-mail to dedide whether to go ahead with a meeting.

When the Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Committee meets tomorrow, they will no doubt hear about the milestone reached at the encampment on Friday: Its last tent was taken down, replaced by another “tiny house.” Donors have been funding the construction, which has been done under a tent on C2C’s Myers Way Parcels site:

Though Saturdays are the days with big volunteer turnouts, a few were at the camp on Friday, including Tomasz Biernacki, who showed us another recent upgrade:

That’s the shower trailer donated to the camp by the Kent Sunrise Rotary. As we’ve reported in previous CAC coverage, the camp had been seeking better hygiene access; previously, it had been getting weekly visits from a mobile shower trailer. This one is set up with an electric water heater (below) connected to the power grid; the water is trucked in and trucked out.

As of our visit Friday, the plan was to build 6 more tiny houses for C2C, which would bring the total to 50, housing about 60 people. Two additional ones would replace the “overnight tent” by the camp entrance.

Biernacki also noted that some of the tiny houses still need to be painted and said the White Center Community Development Association‘s upcoming Refresh event will include that. Meantime, if you have questions or comments about the camp, Sunday’s Community Advisory Council meeting is at 2 pm at Arrowhead Gardens (9200 2nd SW).

Hard to drum up quorum for a public meeting on a sunny Sunday afternoon but a small gathering convened the scheduled Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Council meeting, lasting less than 20 minutes, in the community room at Arrowhead Gardens, a few blocks north of the city-sanctioned encampment.

CAC member Cinda Stenger led the meeting in chair Willow Fulton‘s absence. Here’s the official camp status update, distributed and read by co-founder and on-site manager Eric Davis:

That’s compared to 50 residents at the time of last month’s meeting (WSB coverage here), and an addition of two tiny houses. As for the forthcoming film-festival premiere of “Stories of Us,” you can find out more about it here.

In committee updates. Stenger spoke on behalf of Sound Foundations, the group – which has grown out of Alki UCC involvement and is now “much larger” than that, Stenger said – building tiny houses at the camp, now on its 20th house. As an example of other volunteer involvement, she mentioned that an area company HR specialist came to C2C to help campers work on their resumés.

Shawn Neal from the city Human Services Department mentioned that the much-discussed hygiene trailer has arrived but had no updates otherwise. He was the only city rep and did not mention anything about the camp’s siting status, more than one month into its six-month extension announced in March.

Davis said the hygiene (shower) trailer’s been on site for about a week and a half and needs some work such as a bladder so the wastewater won’t go into the ground – “that’s coming in a week or two.” It should be in operation in about two weeks. He said the camp has many offers of volunteerism, from home-building to barbecues, and expressed gratitude for the community generosity.

Aaron Garcia from the White Center Community Development Association said its refocused Spring Clean might center on Camp Second Chance and the surrounding greenbelt – they have to figure out a plan for an event, possibly in early June. One possibility for inclusion in the event: Painting some of the tiny houses that haven’t been painted.

ISSUES: Davis wondered if the city could do anything about overgrowth along Myers Way in the Joint Training Facility vicinity north of C2C. Neal said he’d look into that.

COMMENTS: C2C board member Zsa Zsa said she’s moving from the camp into housing and is grateful for the camp and the services it has provided. “You’re a great model of how (C2C) can work.” Another community member offered words of praise for the camp. No other members o the public attended.

The Camp Second Chance CAC meets 2 pm first Sundays at Arrowhead Gardens (9200 2nd SW); next scheduled meeting, June 2nd.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

For the first time since the city announced Camp Second Chance would be able to stay at 9701 Myers Way S. for at least six more months, its Community Advisory Committee met today.

The meeting included updates on camp operations and on moving campers into housing as well as questions about the camp’s future.

CAMP UPDATE: Resident manager Eric Davis distributed the monthly update: 50 campers right now, 18 women and 32 men. Campers are now in 41 “tiny houses” and 7 tents, with “2 spaces earmarked for two more houses,” thanks to donors working with “volunteers and residents.” He expressed gratitude for the city extension.

UPDATES FROM COMMITTEE MEMBERS: The meeting started, as usual, with a chance for CAC members in attendance to share comments and observations.

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For the first time since the city announced it would extend Camp Second Chance‘s stay at 9701 Myers Way S. at least six more months, the camp’s Community Advisory Committee will meet Sunday. While the CAC is not a decisionmaking group – it’s all community volunteers – the meetings usually include reps from the city and from camp operator LIHI in attendance, and there’s a community comment period for questions, concerns, etc. The meeting is at 2 pm Sunday (April 7th) in the community room on the east side of Arrowhead Gardens (9200 2nd SW).

(WSB photo of Camp Second Chance entrance, December 2017)

Will city-authorized encampment Camp Second Chance have its stay on the city-owned Myers Way Parcels extended, or will it have to move, as current city law would require? As reported here earlier this week, the Highland Park Action Committee has sent the city a letter opposing an extension, following its “listening session” and a community survey. That meeting was held the same week that the Westside Interfaith Network gathered C2C supporters in Fauntleroy. Will the city convene its own meeting regarding the potential extension, as it did a year ago? The city’s homelessness-response spokesperson Will Lemke says none is planned “but that could change,” and sent us this statement on the renewal decisionmaking process.

The City continues to gather information, including community input, on next steps for Camp Second Chance. A final decision has not been reached.

The City has and continues to engage a diverse range of community stakeholders; including Highland Park Action Committee, members of the Camp Second Chance advisory committee, residents of Arrowhead Gardens, homeless service providers, residents of and near Camp Second Chance, and the faith community to learn more about their experiences with the program.

We also take program performance, siting, and Citywide shelter resources into consideration during this process.

All of these factors will be taken into consideration as the City makes a final decision that best serves the community and residents of the village. Ultimately, programs like Camp Second Chance are designed to get vulnerable people the critical stability and help they need to get on a path to housing—Camp Second Chance has done that for people.

Thousands of people are living unsheltered on Seattle’s streets. Solutions to this crisis are complex and require not only substantial resources from the City, but engagement from communities to help inform and support programs. We appreciate our community partners and will continue to listen while we develop our plans for Camp Second Chance.

The city has said previously that you can comment via email at homelessness@seattle.gov. We asked exactly who has the final say – the mayor or someone else; Lemke replied, “Ultimately, the City is working collaboratively (which includes the Mayor’s Office) internally and externally to develop next steps.”

The camp’s official authorization is ending its second year, but it arrived at the site more than half a year earlier, moving from a church in South King County. According to the most recent report presented at Sunday’s monthly meeting of the camp’s Community Advisory Committee, 51 people are currently at the camp, which continues converting tent sites to “tiny houses” with the help of community donations and volunteers.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Before deciding on whether to extend Camp Second Chance‘s stay on the Myers Way Parcels, the city has been waiting to see what position the Highland Park Action Committee takes. That’s what Lisa Gustaveson of the Human Services Department told the C2C Community Advisory Committee on Sunday.

24 hours later, HPAC has just announced where it stands. The group says 2 years and 7 months – the time that’s elapsed since C2C set up on the city-owned greenspace, initially without authorization – is long enough. “(W)e look forward to seeing a swift plan for Camp Second Chance’s relocation by the end of the month,” concludes the letter just made public by HPAC.

The letter (which you can read in its entirety here) recaps not only the community-engagement process that the group went through – including this “listening session” in January – but also Highland Park’s history, going back more than a decade, of “hosting” encampments, dating to the original “Nickelsville” camp in 2008. HPAC’s letter notes, “There is a long documented history of the City either being unable or unwilling to address the safety concerns” raised by encampments in the area. The group also underscores, “We did not come to this decision easily. We know that homelessness is an urgent issue that affects our neighbors and our communities.”

Now that HPAC has taken its stand, we’re checking with the city regarding its next step on a decision regarding C2C’s location. City rules currently say authorized encampments have to move after two years maximum at a site.

COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING: Our notes from this short Sunday afternoon meeting are after the jump:

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(UPDATED Thursday night with a second city response to the data question)

(At Sunday’s meeting, L-R: C2C’s Eric Davis, Alki UCC’s Cinda Stenger, city HSD’s Shawn Neal, committee chair Willow Fulton)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Just before the first blast of snowy weather hit our area Sunday, the latest updates on West Seattle’s city-sanctioned encampment were shared at the Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Committee meeting.

In attendance were C2CCAC chair Willow Fulton, members Aaron Garcia, Cinda Stenger, Judi Carr, and Grace Stiller, camp manager/co-founder Eric Davis, and Shawn Neal, a grants/contracts specialist with the city Human Services Department.

STATUS REPORTS: Davis provided the monthly report on the camp’s status via this one-sheet:

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If you’re interested in city-sanctioned Camp Second Chance, which is seeking to extend its stay on city-owned land at the Myers Way Parcels, you might be interested in this Sunday’s Community Advisory Council meeting. Every month, usually on the first Sunday, the CAC meets to get updates on the encampment and to discuss any community concerns/questions that arise. This meeting is at the usual time and location, 2 pm Sunday (February 3rd) in the community room at Arrowhead Gardens (9200 2nd SW, a few blocks north of C2C). The meeting is expected to adjourn no later than 3 pm since it’s also Super Bowl Sunday.

P.S. If you missed our coverage of two recent community meetings discussing the camp’s future – here’s our coverage: The Westside Interfaith Network rallied camp supporters on January 21; the Highland Park Action Committee held a “listening session” for community comment on January 23rd. The city hasn’t set a deadline for deciding on the camp’s future but says it’s continuing to accept comments via email, homelessness@seattle.gov.

(WSB photo of Camp Second Chance entrance, December 2017)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?”

That was part of a collection of quotes from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., read aloud by those in attendance on this MLK Day night at a special Westside Interfaith Network meeting, devoted to rallying support for keeping city-sanctioned Camp Second Chance in place in southeast West Seattle.

Three city reps were there to hear the testimonials that drew applause and the occasional “amen!” during the gathering that filled the Fauntleroy UCC Fellowship Hall with more than 100 people: Jackie St. Louis and Lisa Gustaveson from the city Human Services Department, and City Councilmember Lisa Herbold.

The timing is critical because the encampment is close to the end of its second sanctioned year (following nine unsanctioned months) on the city-owned Myers Way Parcels. City law currently says two years is the maximum stay allowed for an encampment. Another group, the Highland Park Action Committee, is meeting Wednesday to listen to arguments about whether it should or should not support an extension. Throughout tonight’s WIN meeting, speakers including camp residents made the case that the camp must not be forced to leave.

Cinda Stenger, a lay leader at Alki UCC who is also on the Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Committee, noted that the church has built 13 “tiny houses” at the site. (We have chronicled these reports in our coverage of most CAC meetings.) She said this is the only Seattle community that can build on site at a sanctioned encampment. “If this camp is to move, this powerful work will no longer be possible,” she said, calling the relationship between community supporters and the camp “a love affair. … Everything is about relationships … If they are to be relocated or worse, disbanded, (the city) will be breaking our hearts.”

She recapped Camp Second Chance’s backstory, with a group breaking away from a Tent City, launching on a site outside the city, then moving to the Myers Way Parcels (without authorization at first, and after a brief time on private property across the street).

Stenger said C2C, which usually has about 50 people living on the site at 9701 Myers Way S., is vital because there’s not enough low-income housing for the campers to move into. “If the camp has to move, the level of disruption to (campers’) lives is unconscionable.” Most have jobs and/or take classes, she noted.

She handed the mic to Willow Fulton, who chairs the CAC and lives near the camp, just south of the city/county line.

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