Homelessness Response Blog

The causes and solutions to homelessness are complicated, but our goals are not.  We want to bring every person inside. Get them the services, help, and support they needs. And connect them with permanent housing.  

In the last two years, the City of Seattle and King County have been working towards those goals.  We have devoted more resources to prevention, to keep people from falling into homelessness, and to diversion to try to rehouse people quickly.   

The reasons people lose their home are as varied as the life stories of those individuals. We must craft solutions to these challenges. Different life events can push a person to the place where they no longer have a safety net and home —   a sudden life change or illness, loss of a job, the need to escape domestic violence or behavioral health challenges. Far too many individuals experiencing homelessness are disproportionately Native American, African American, LGBTQ youth and from communities of color. Each person or family require a different set of solutions to get them housed. 

A key part of bringing people inside is to do repeated outreach and to try to connect people with services and shelter.  Because 24/7 enhanced shelters and tiny homes are at least five times more effective than basic shelters, the City has largely remade our shelter system to have more 24/7 shelters with case mangers, housing navigators and nurses.  

Helping individuals who are living unsheltered in tents or doorways is the first and most important step towards the transition to permanent housing. The Navigation Team, which consists of specially trained Seattle Police officers, Field Coordinators, and outreach workers, have the critically important job of connecting people experiencing homelessness to services and shelter and removing dangerous encampments that have public safety or public health concerns. When launched, the City recognized that storage of personal belongings would be an important step both to recognize the potential importance of that property to the people involved and to remove a barrier to shelter acceptance.   

As the City works to bring people inside, it must be done with compassion and dignity and to get people the services they need. In each large encampment removal, the process is documented carefully — from notice, to outreach, to removal of hazardous materials, to storage of property. The process, which typically can occur over several days or weeks, is documented publicly online through site journals, which document the safety,  health and environmental risks, including proximity to highways, garbage, human waste, bio-hazards, and syringes.  

Since 2018, the City has added staff to the Navigation Team to increase capacity and improve operations including in storage management. Since 2018, Mayor Durkan has added 24 members to the Navigation Team including 10 members, field coordinators (6), data analysts (3), and an administrative specialist (1) who was added to assist with the storage and retrieval on personal belongings. The City collected and stored thousands of items last year,  and each encampment removal documents property stored at request or because it was abandoned.  These logs are also available on line.  A full description of the process is below,  With that said, the City continues to evaluate and seek improve systems for collecting, storing, and the timely return of items to their owners.  

2019 Storage Utilization   

Storage of belongings occurs both when the City does a 72 hour encampment removal and when it clears obstructions and hazards.   Storage was utilized by individuals in nearly 50% of all 72-hour encampment removals and in 20% of all obstruction/hazard removals. Obstruction/hazard utilization is lower due to the majority voluntarily complying with moving their items.   

The City collected and stored items for individuals experiencing homelessness in 343 instances accounting for:  

• More than 500 bins of storage;   
• More than 60 bikes;   
• More than 25 large luggage items; and   
• More than 40 large items such as furniture, equipment, musical instruments, and other objects that cannot fit in a storage bin were stored.   

 
The City tries to keep people connected with their medicine, important papers, and other personal belongings. Records show that among the thousands of items, medicine was logged only eleven times (medicines, vitamins, canes, EpiPens) and personal identification two times (IDs). Papers and paperwork were logged 18 times, and personal items were logged 25 times.  

Item Verification: Navigation Team Field Coordinators are responsible for identifying, collecting, cataloging and creating a log number for storage, leaving contact information, physically storing items, and delivering items found in an encampment back to owners after verification. Last year, hundreds of contacts were made to offer services like shelter as well as storage.   

While much of the property left behind is abandoned, the City understands it might be the last possessions a person has. The Field Coordinators document possessions at each remaining tent or structure, which can be found in the site journal. By both guidelines and practice, the Navigation Team collects individuals most personal belongings – this includes medicines, personal papers, identification or medical devices.  

Following an encampment removal, the Navigation Team leaves physical notices at a site that include the phone number for people to call or text to retrieve their belongings. A card is issued to any party who self-packs their property. The phone number is staffed by the administrative assistant with the Navigation Team. Incoming calls and/or messages are recorded, and staff will establish a dialogue with an individual to verify the requests. To maintain the security of items in storage, log numbers are not provided to the public in order to prevent individuals from improperly obtaining items that do not belong to them.    

Storage: When conducting an encampment removal, of the items secured for storage, all belongings in one tent or structure would be recorded on one inventory log with a unique identifying number. Inventory logs list a description of the items stored and the location from which they were obtained. In many instances, the log may include the name of an individual who requests storage (or self-store), or other relevant details such as “Found in Debris,” indicating the item logged was found in debris (not within a tent or structure) but identified as a storable item. Individuals who self-store are provided a phone number for recovery/delivery of items. When storable items are left behind and have not been identified by people camping as garbage, those items will also be secured with notice posted at the site that the property was removed from the location and stored. The post includes the contact number for recovery/delivery.    

It should be noted that the City makes every effort to return items especially personal belongings at the location where collection and storage takes place. Once collected, items are taken to the storage facility and held until individuals call to retrieve them or a minimum of 70 days has passed.    

Delivery: When individuals call with inquiries about stored belongings, the Navigation Team’s administrative assistant notes details to assist with connecting the proper owner with their belongings.   

The Navigation Team received 106 incoming phone calls or text messages pertaining to approximately 70 instances of storage.   

Once deliveries are coordinated with the owner, the Team attempts to make deliveries. If the delivery is not successful, which means an individual is not able or does not make the arranged meeting, follow-up efforts are made to reschedule and successfully deliver the items requested.  If an individual is in active contact with the Navigation Team, the team will extend the time items are in storage to accommodate the persons need. If no one attempts to recover the items within 70 days or if a request is not able to be properly verified, those items are discarded. Of the thousands of items collected and stored, only a small number of calls are made to reclaim items.  

September update: Tent City 3 moved to a new location, on property owned by a religious entity, in early September.

August 27 update: SHARE/WHEEL & Tent City 3 have informed the City they have reached an agreement with a religious entity to host Tent City 3 and will move on September 7. The City will continue to monitor the situation. From our conversations with SHARE/WHEEL leadership and Tent City 3 residents, we are hopeful for a resolution by September 7. In the interim, the City’s Navigation Team will continue to visit the site to offer outreach services and alternative shelter options. We are also exploring ways to bring more outreach providers to Tent City 3 and are working with our partners at the County to make that happen.

Information below was published August 22:

Background

Historically, Tent City 3 is hosted by non-profits, churches, and community organizations on location for 90-day durations under SHARE/WHEEL policy. Tent City 3 reached the end of its stay at the University Congregational United Church and did not have a confirmed host site to move to.

The property Tent City 3 moved to is public property that is owned by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and maintained by the City of Seattle.

Tent City 3 is not managed, operated, or funded by the City of Seattle.

Status

The City’s priority is to ensure residents of Tent City 3 are safe and have access to services, including shelter.

The Navigation Team observed that Tent City 3 is currently operating as organizers intended. The team estimates there to be at least 40 people living within the site. SHARE/WHEEL has set up portable toilets, a hand washing station, and a kitchen. Tent City 3 residents told Navigation Team members they do not wish to stay at this location for an extended period of time and are seeking the City’s assistance in identifying a new location.

The City’s Navigation Team has been on site and has informally met with Tent City 3 organizers and residents, who expressed interest in seeing more resources and services at Tent City 3. The Navigation Team’s outreach workers, called System Navigators, will continue to visit the site to offer alternative shelter options, case management connections, and to discuss bringing more resources to residents. The City’s contracted outreach providers and service partners will also visit the site and offer services.

At this time, the Navigation Team is not considering an immediate removal of Tent City 3.

Next Steps

The City is seeking a speedy solution that accommodates both Tent City 3 and the surrounding community.

The City’s Human Service Department is working with service providers and SHARE/WHEEL to assist them with identifying new partnerships to host Tent City 3.  Representatives from the Human Services Department have begun these conversations with SHARE/WHEEL. The City is exploring all avenues towards assisting Tent City 3 in finding a new, more suitable location, and urges any organization–including faith communities, non-profits, private entities–that would consider hosting Tent City 3 to please contact the Human Services Department (Homelessness@seattle.gov).

The Navigation Team and outreach providers will continue to visit the site and engage residents, offering services and alternative shelter options. WSDOT, which also owns property Tent City 3 occupies, will continue to be engaged by the City and informed of developments.

The Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) has released Quarter 2 (Q2) performance metrics for the City of Seattle’s Navigation Team, which is comprised outreach workers, field coordinators, and police officers that work to connect people living unsheltered to shelter and support services. The Q2 data shows the team working at a higher capacity, connecting more people to shelter when compared to the first quarter of 2019, and increasing operational capacity to better address unmanaged encampments posing public access, health, and safety concerns.

“I’m incredibly grateful to the members of the Navigation Team for their life-saving work. This new data shows that our Navigation Team is doing more than ever to connect people with the services and housing they need and help them come inside. The investments we have made are having an impact. We will continue to invest in the strategies we know are making a positive difference – like our Navigation Team and enhanced shelters that provide services and a better path to permanent housing,” said Mayor Jenny Durkan. “With improved data, we can now better measure our progress each quarter and ensure that we improve on what is working. We know our Navigation Team is connecting more people with services and we are looking for ways to improve their work. I hope that the City Council will continue to support our investments expanding the Navigation Team.”

When compared to Quarter 1 (Q1), the Navigation Team saw the following increases in Q2:

• 16 percent increase in unique individuals engaged by the Navigation Team;
• 10 percent increase in unique individuals referred to shelters;
• 47 Navigation Team reserved beds available daily, rising from 17 beds available in Q1
  • More beds available in basic shelters, tiny house villages, and enhanced shelters; and
• 79 more referrals to enhanced shelter and tiny house villages than in Q1.

This increase in outreach results in Q2 occurred during a period when the Navigation Team also expanded its operational capacity, removing 18 more encampments under 72-hour notice protocols and 36 additional obstruction removals from the public rights-of-way when compared to Q1. The team also removed 405 tons of garbage, waste, and debris from Seattle’s streets during this time, a 14 percent increase over the previous quarter. The team also completed 160 more site inspections in Q2 than Q1 (Note-Operational figures are subject to change as data entry is completed and updated by partner agencies).

“The recent data shows investments made by Mayor Durkan and City Council are working in concert, connecting vulnerable people to shelter while making sure public health, safety, and access is improved in Seattle,” said Jason Johnson, director of HSD. “From investing in over 500 more shelter spaces last year, to the hiring of System Navigators to increase outreach and increases in data support this year—changes to the Navigation Team and the homelessness response system are creating positive results.”

The full report includes detailed metrics on several data sets and can be found here.  

The Q2 data allows policymakers and the public to effectively compare the Navigation Team’s performance over a period of time. Many of the resources and strategies utilized by the Navigation Team today were not yet developed when the team launched in 2017. Over time, it became clear that more robust support was necessary to sustain the Navigation Team’s long-term mission to connect vulnerable people to shelter and services and to better measure the team’s output.

To address these realities, Mayor Durkan made historic investments to create over 500 new shelter beds in 2018 and added staff to the Navigation Team. Between 2017 and 2019, the team expanded to 38—which includes police officers, REACH outreach workers, additional Field Coordinators, data analysists, and System Navigators to expand outreach —the latter beginning work in June 2019.

While the new data capacity strengthens understanding of the team’s impact, it also highlights an evolution in how outreach data can be examined. The way outreach data was collected and measured between 2017 through 2019 differs. For example, 2017 data was manually collected by various groups and entered manually by a single individual. 2018 data provided by the City’s contracted outreach provider included duplicated information. Also, in 2018, the team’s operations moved to HSD, which created challenges and opportunities for improvement. Now—thanks to the addition of HSD staff dedicated to data collection and protocols—the outreach and operational data is more robust and can now be more easily measured quarter-to-quarter moving forward.

The Q2 data was submitted as part of a quarterly report to the Seattle City Council. Data from the Q1 report is available here.

The City of Seattle’s Human Service Department (HSD) has announced Camp Second Chance, Georgetown Village, and Othello Village will be temporarily re-permitted for an additional six months. During this time, the City will develop a long-term strategy for these sites with community input that will serve residents of villages and the surrounding community.

Homelessness remains a crisis in Seattle and the City’s responsibility is to provide services and shelter resources that are effective in helping people transition from homelessness to housing—tiny house villages have proven to be one solution within the City’s overall response. In 2018, villages City-wide served 658 unique households and exited 135 households to permanent housing, an increase of 32 percent from 2017. Tiny house villages are also one of the most accessed resources by people contacted by the Navigation Team, which is comprised of specially-trained police officers and outreach workers. moving people out of unsafe encampments and into tiny house villages that provide supportive services that help vulnerable people stabilize and find a path to housing.

Camp Second Chance, Georgetown Village, and Othello Village all reached the end of the respective permits, which can be granted under City ordinance or by temporary-use permits. As these three villages approach the permit expiration, the City began working with community stakeholders and service providers to learn about their experiences, outcomes, and impacts with the villages. During this process, the City learned that more time is necessary to include more community feedback in developing a long-term strategy for the villages.

The City’s decision grants monthly temporary-use permits to these sites for the next six months. During this time, the City will develop a long-term strategy for these specific villages, considering all options for the future of these programs and sites. In order to develop these strategies, the City will work with communities to organize meetings in neighborhoods hosting villages to learn more about how the City can be responsive to community needs and how to best serve residents of the villages. Community Advisory Councils for all villages will continue to meet on a regular basis, providing a platform for village residents, community, service providers, and City planners to address topics relevant to the villages.

Temporarily re-permitting Camp Second Chance, Georgetown Village, and Othello Villages allows for residents of these villages to continue to receive the care and stability they need to exit homelessness and keeps people from returning to living unsheltered on Seattle’s streets.  Under Mayor Durkan’s leadership, the City has opened over 500 safer spaces and HSD is committed to maintaining shelter capacity. Under Mayor Durkan, the City has transitioned all sanctioned encampments to tiny home villages. The City has also added four additional case workers and behavior health specialists.

The City has also learned that siting, developing, and relocating tiny house villages remains an ongoing challenge given property logistics, costs, and program needs of serving people experiencing homelessness. The City has also learned that providing 24/7, enhanced shelter is one of the best solutions to help people off Seattle’s streets and into safer living situations.

The extension of these villages does not impact the status of the other six City-funded villages.

Please see the Frequently Asked Questions section for additional details. If you have any questions, please reach out to Homelessness@Seattle.Gov for more information.

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Frequently Asked Questions 

What does this mean for Camp Second Chance, Georgetown Village, and Othello Village?

The City will allow all three villages to continue to operate under temporary-use permits for the next six months. During this time, the City will work with community to host meetings in Highland Park/West Seattle, Georgetown, and Othello to better engage area residents and to address questions from community. During the next six months the City will develop a long-term plan for these sites. The Community Advisory Committees for each of the programs will continue to meet and provide input around operations.

What is current situation regarding LIHI and Nickelsville and how does this temporary extension play in to this?

The announcement to extend these permits does not impact daily operations of these or any tiny house village sites. The City contracts directly with LIHI to operate tiny house villages. Since 2018, the City has included a number of measures—including case management—as a requirement of our contractors to operate these villages. Additionally, transparency into how villages are managed, including resolution of conflicts among residents and staff, is a priority for the City.

LIHI’s and its subcontractor, Nickelsville, have been unable to reach an agreement to provide case management on site and measures to improve transparency into daily operations of the few villages Nickelsville manages. Further, the City has learned of concerning reports pertaining to Nickelsville’s practice of barring people from the program for minor infractions. We share LIHI’s concerns and we support their efforts to provide case management and transparency at these locations. LIHI will be taking over daily management at Othello, Georgetown, and Northlake.

Why did the City wait for these permits to approach expiration?

Over the last few months, the City has been working with community groups, village residents, community members, and service providers to learn about their experiences, concerns, outcomes, and impacts from the village program. What the City learned is that more community voices, relationship building, and time is necessary to develop a long-term strategy that best serves all interested parties.

How will the City work with the residents of these villages?
Over the course of six months the City will work with the operator of the villages to meet with residents regularly and discuss the next steps and their concerns.

What does this mean for other villages?

The City’s village program is permitted through multiple permitting avenues, including temporary use permits. The City and its partners will continue operating these villages under existing permitting authority. There are no new updates for the other villages currently.

Does this mean all villages are staying indefinitely?

No. The City is extending permits for six months at three village locations while developing a long-term plan. Other villages will continue to operate as is. The City has made adjustments at the termination of a 2-year stay as demonstrated by the decision to shift capacity away from Licton Springs—which will no longer operate by April 1 of this year.

 Is this permitting process supported by City code?

Yes. The City has multiple permitting avenues for granting uses of property for tiny house villages. The City allows villages to exist by different means including temporary-use permits. Camp Second Chance, Georgetown Village, and Othello Village will be permitted by temporary-use permits for the next six months.

What about the other villages that have permits which will expire in the future?

The other six villages are in various stages of permitting and no changes have been made in status to these sites. During the next six months, the City will be working with community, service provides, and residents in developing a long-term strategy for all tiny house villages.

What happens next with the three villages?

The City will lead a community outreach process by hosting meetings with neighborhoods that are currently home to tiny house villages. These meetings will be ongoing the next six months. During this time, the City will be developing a long-term plan for these and all villages.

 What happens during the next six months and what does a long-term plan mean?

City will work with community to host meetings in neighborhoods hosting the villages to better engage area residents and to address questions from community. A long-term plan will examine all options moving forward for the villages, which could include phasing out some sites, like Licton Springs Village, shifting capacity to existing sites, expanding existing locations, or developing new community-based partnerships.

Have the residents of villages been informed about the process and have they provided feedback?

Yes. The City has been working with LIHI to inform residents of the temporary extension of the permits. LIHI and City representatives have organized in-person updates at the impacted villages and will be working with village residents over the next six months to ensure an inclusive and robust engagement strategy regarding the future of tiny house villages.

Is the City exploring religious sponsorship for villages?

The City will consider all options, including religious sponsorship, during the six-month extension for these villages. True Hope Village is a religiously sponsored program and the City has seen early, positive results from this relationship that has served dozens of people experiencing homelessness since opening in the fall of 2018. The City has been approached by additional religious organizations to explore ways to better support the village program. Other non-City funded tiny house villages are religiously sponsored and have operated within Seattle for a number of years.

Why does the City use tiny house villages?

Villages play a critical role in the City’s response to people living unsheltered on Seattle’s streets. Tiny house villages offer 24/7 access, services, individual living spaces, communal areas, and case management on-site—all of which are some of the most requested types of shelter from people living on Seattle’s streets and have shown success in housing people.

The City of Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) has expanded emergency resources in response to the winter weather event that is impacting the Seattle region, opening over 550 emergency beds during the snowstorms. The City strongly encourages all individuals living unsheltered to utilize these shelter resources during these storms. HSD has activated the following resources for people living unsheltered:

Shelter and Warming Resources:

• Ernestine Anderson Place (2010 S Jackson), which is operated by Low Income Housing Institute, has opened its lobby as an overflow emergency shelter. This resource will remain open through Monday, February 18.
• Bitter Lake Community Center (13035 Linden Ave N) opened Monday, February 11 at 3pm and will operate as a shelter and warming center through Monday morning, February 18. This shelter has space for 120 people.
• Seattle Center Exhibition Hall (301 Mercer St) severe weather shelter has been extended through Monday morning, February 18. No one will be turned away from this shelter. Medical services are available at the nearby Seattle Center Armory, which is serving as day-time warming shelter.
• Garfield Community Center (2323 E. Cherry St) has been opened as a warming and overnight emergency shelter for all populations including families with children, and people living in vehicles. This shelter will operate 24 hours a day through the morning of Monday, February 18. People may access shelter at any time.  Referral forms are NOT required. Medical and case management services are being provided throughout the week.
• Mary’s Place Family Shelter (312 Dexter Ave N) Open 24 hours. Call the King County Coordinated Family Intake Line at 206-245-1026 or drop in at 312 Dexter Ave N. 
• King County Administrative Building (500 4^th Ave) is open for emergency overnight and daytime shelter for adults 18+ through the week. Please check here for updates on King County emergency resources.

HSD and King County Department of Community and Health Services are coordinating with human services providers to provide housing and supportive services at emergency shelters and warming centers this week. Services include housing assessments, flexible funds to help people connect to housing and medical services.

Additional warming centers and emergency centers are open throughout the City. Please see the list for more detailed information on locations and contact information. If you are concerned about an individual living unsheltered, or in need, call 2-1-1 a resource line that can help connect an individual to resources. When the 2-1-1 line isn’t open, the 24-hour Crisis Line 866-427-4747 can provide information that the City provides on warming shelters.

Aging and Disability Services:

• HSD staff members and community partners are calling approximately 200 “high-risk” Aging and Disability case management program clients and their caregivers to ensure that they are safe, have access to a 5-day food supply and a back-up plan if their caregiver is unable to get there.
• All scheduled Meals on Wheels are being delivered to clients.
• Pike Market Senior Center and Food Bank is open normal operating hours and serving meals at 8:20 a.m. and noon every day.

If it is an emergency, contact Seattle Police by calling 9-1-1. SPD has transport vans to take people to warming centers and shelters.

• The City of Seattle’s Navigation Team and Seattle Police are contacting individuals living in unmanaged encampments throughout Seattle, connecting people to shelter. SPD has two large transportation vans and can bring people to shelter.  Over the last four days, the Navigation Team has helped 137 people come inside.

 

Background

The City of Seattle’s permitted tiny house villages offer a place for unsheltered people to find stability and connect to housing resources. Each night, the villages provide more than 350 people a tiny house structure that locks, access to restrooms and showers, case management, a kitchen and a managed community.

Licton Springs Village has been in operation since 2017 under a two-year City permit on property owned by LIHI (Low Income Housing Institute). The village was created in response to the lack of system capacity to serve vulnerable unsheltered men and women encountered by the Navigation Team as they engaged people living unsheltered across Seattle. All residents of Licton Springs Village were referred to the village by the Navigation Team and is part of the City’s broader homelessness response emergency investments, which has seen a 35% increase in placements to housing in the first half of 2018.

The people living at Licton Springs Village are among the most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness Seattle: 77%, are chronically homeless (which is believed to be a low estimate). In addition, 68% have experienced more than 12 months of being homeless over the last three years. Data from the Homeless Management Information System shows most residents suffer from either a disability, chronic health condition, mental health condition, or substance abuse issue.

Additionally, the program was designed to serve people for brief periods of time to provide the support, stability, and safety residents need to get help and ultimately find a path to housing. However, over the last two years, the City has learned that it takes much longer to serve such vulnerable residents; 39 of the 53 people have stayed at the village for longer than one year.

Next Steps

The two-year permit expires in March 2019. The City is not exploring the possibility of renewing the village’s permit at this location. Securing permanent housing for Licton Springs Village residents is the goal, and the City will do everything it can to ensure people are not returning to homelessness and are being placed in supportive housing or safe alternatives.

To help meet this goal over the next five months, the Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) will be adding additional case management and partner agency expertise to assist clients and connect them to housing or safer shelter, including the City’s enhanced shelter beds, which have demonstrated success in moving people to permanent housing. Further, the City is incorporating the valuable lessons from the Licton Springs Village program and applying these improvements into existing and new tiny house villages, including additional case management services in next year’s proposed budget. These program enhancements include:

• Guiding referrals of unsheltered people to programs that most effectively meet their needs;
• Reflect case management ratios and other behavioral and medical health resources reflective of the needs of clients;
• Case management and active housing search efforts should be required of people who enter the village programs; and
• Onsite enrichment programming to support residents transiting from the streets.

With an unprecedented number of people living unsheltered, the City will continue to bring more shelter resources online in the coming months and will explore all options to create safe spaces for vulnerable people experiencing homelessness.

You can read more about the City’s permitted villages here.

Background

The unmanaged encampment in the Myers Way greenbelt is scheduled to be removed beginning September 24th, to reduce negative public health and safety impacts stemming from the encampment and to allow the City of Seattle to launch an effort to restore the forest and natural environment.

The encampment is large, covering over 20 acres of forest with multiple living structures and abandoned vehicles. At one point this year, the City of Seattle’s Navigation Team estimated there to be 50-100 people living unsheltered in Myers Way. The population has declined over the course of the year.

Impacts from the encampment have ranged from the presence of human waste and public safety issues, to garbage and illegal dumping impacting Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) drainage systems. A partial clean-up of the area occurred earlier this year to alleviate potential SR-509 flooding concerns.

Given the scale and logistical challenges presented by this encampment, this large-scale removal required months of planning and resource marshaling to clear this forested area. The Navigation Team and other outreach providers have been working over the last months to connect people living unsheltered to the resources and shelter required under City rules. Following the removal and clean-up of the encampment, Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation (Parks) will implement a multi-month activation process to restore the forest and encourage more regular recreational use of the greenbelt.

Outreach

The Navigation Team will make every effort to connect people living unsheltered to resources and shelter—which has been assisted greatly by Mayor Durkan’s recent investments to expand shelter capacity via tiny house villages and emergency shelter.

The Navigation Team has been conducting repeated outreach to people living unsheltered in the encampment since the beginning of the year. Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) trash bag pilot has also been active on site (SPU dispenses and collects trash bags from occupants), however participation from encampment residents has been inconsistent and deteriorated over the year.

The Navigation Team designed an intensive outreach effort ahead of the removal, focusing nearly all outreach and shelter resources to the encampment during the month of September to help people move to safer spaces prior to the clean-up. This outreach effort includes bringing in multiple partner agencies to complement and expand the team’s efforts.

The residents of this encampment have been difficult to reach and connect to services. To date, the team has made over 250 contacts to people living in Myers Way, connecting less than 10 people to shelter.

However, as part of the intensive outreach leading up to the clean-up, the team successfully referred a mother and her 2 children to a tiny house village last week (September 10).  Additionally, the team successfully moved a second young family out of Myers Way and into another tiny house village the week prior to the clean-up.

Written and verbal notice of the removal has been provided to all people living in the encampment. The encampment will received additional written notice 72 hours ahead of the clean-up, per City protocols.

Because of the advance outreach, some residents have voluntarily left the encampment to unknown destinations.

 Clean-Up

The City is working with multiple agencies to conduct the clean-up, including Parks, Seattle Department of Transportation, WSDOT, SPU, Finance and Administrative Services, Seattle Human Services, Seattle Police Department (SPD), and Seattle City Light (SCL).

Beginning September 24, the Navigation Team will lead initial clean-up efforts. The team will remove living structures and provide storage of belongings for encampment occupants. The team will continue to offer services and shelter during the clean-up. This effort will likely last the entire week. During the clean-up, other agencies will begin laying the groundwork for future activation by restoring access roads and preparing the property for work trailers.

Activation

Following the clean-up, Parks will implement a temporary multi-month activation effort to restore the forest and encourage more regular recreational use of the area.

This activation includes a daily staffing of the site, overseen by City staff, contractors, and volunteers. Workers will be on site every day to restore hillsides prone to landslides, removing brush and debris, and replanting appropriate plants and trees to the area. During this time, Parks will explore other uses of the site such as a dog park area and recreation trails.

With improved access and walking trails, SPD and Parks will be able to better monitor the area during the restoration process and beyond.  The activation phase is anticipated to last from 3-6 months.

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Post Removal Update

The City completed the removal of the unmanaged encampment in the Myers Way greenbelt ahead of schedule the week of September 24. Seattle Parks and Recreation crews remain on site to continue rehabilitation work, which will proceed for the next 3-6 months.

Outreach Results: The team successfully referred 16 people to safer shelter during the encampment clean-up. This was the result

of weeks of engagement to build trust and identify needs of vulnerable people leading up to the start of the clean-up. This is an addition to 3 separate families that accepted offers of shelter within the City’s tiny house villages in the weeks prior to the encampment removal. Lastly, the team brought in additional outreach agencies to help compliment engagement efforts on the ground.

Clean-Up: Major clean-up efforts concluded on September 27. Parks crews remain on site to remove brush and undertake forest restoration activities. The City estimates that nearly 400 tons of garbage and debris were removed from the site during the clean-up.

 

 

New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, Truevine of Holiness Missionary Baptist Church and the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) are sponsoring a new permitted tiny house village at 18th and Yesler in Seattle’s Central District. This village will provide safer spaces to live for unsheltered people experiencing homelessness. The City of Seattle is supporting case management services and operations at the village.

At community meetings on May 22nd and June 12th, neighbors had the opportunity to engage with the sponsors and ask questions. We have posted answers to the questions that we heard most frequently below.

What is the official name of this village?

The official name of the tiny house village located at 18th and Yesler is True Hope Village.

How was this property selected?

The City is currently supporting six permitted tiny house villages. In an effort to distribute villages across Seattle, the City Council requested that District 3 be considered as well. The location was one of several sites in the Central Area and Capitol Hill that was considered.

Who is sponsoring this village?

True Hope Village is sponsored by New Hope Missionary Baptist Church and Truevine of Holiness Missionary Baptist Church.

Does this village meet the threshold for religious permitting as outlined in Code Section 23.42.054?

Yes. The Estate of Chris Demopolis (18th and Yesler, LLC) signed a lease agreement with the LIHI, which in turn assigned the lease to the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church for use in their community ministry to people experiencing homelessness. The churches will use space in a community tent on the site to outreach to the residents.

How will the physical design of the site meet the needs of the 18th and Yesler neighborhood?

True Hope Village will install a 6’ cedar privacy fence around its perimeter to be visually appealing from the exterior. Tiny homes will be attractively designed and set back 25’ from the nearest neighbors. The village’s restroom and shower facilities will be connected to City utilities and will receive regular trash and recycling service. The site will be subject to drop-in inspections by Seattle-King County Public Health, Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) and the Fire Department to ensure that all health and safety regulations are being followed.

Did the community have the opportunity to provide input on this project as it was being developed?

Yes. Two community meetings were held to share information with community members and receive their feedback. The first meeting was held on May 22nd. The second meeting was held on the evening of June 12th at Ernestine Anderson Place. Both events were well attended. Comments and questions from both meetings were collected by LIHI, New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, Truevine of Holiness Missionary Baptist Church, and multiple City of Seattle departments. Community members also reached out to each of those entities by email, phone calls, and face to face meetings to ask questions, express concerns, and offer feedback. Community feedback informed the project design and will continue to influence the project going forward.

How can the community provide ongoing input about this village?

True Hope Village will establish a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) that will provide advisory input on operations. Members of the CAC will include businesses, community leaders, immediate neighbors, service providers and others. The Committee of seven stakeholders will meet monthly and meeting notes will be posted on the City of Seattle’s Homeless Response website (www.seattle.gov/homelessness). If you would like to serve on the CAC. Please contact Josh Castle at jcastle@lihi.org or Tom Van Bronkhorst at tom.vanBronkhorst3@seattle.gov. Community members may also provide feedback to the City of Seattle via email at homelessness@seattle.gov.

What is the City of Seattle’s role in this project?

The City of Seattle’s Fire Department, SCDI, and Seattle-King County Public Health will perform periodic, unannounced inspections of the site to ensure all safety codes are being met. Additionally, the City of Seattle Human Services Department will contract with LIHI to provide onsite case management and operations of this village.

How long will this village stay at its current location?

Under the current ordinance, permitted villages on private or public land can operate for 12- months with an option for an additional 12-month extension. This site is sponsored by religious organizations–under the Seattle Land Use Code there is no time limit. The lease on the site is for two years with six-month extensions thereafter. Anticipated opening is mid-July.

Who will live in this village?

Residents will include homeless families, couples, singles, students, seniors and veterans. Homeless students will include those participating in the Seattle Vocational Institute’s (SVI) pre-apprenticeship training program and the Urban League’s Career Bridge program. Homeless families and singles will be referred by the New Hope Baptist Church, Urban League, Seattle Indian Center, the Navigation Team and others.

How can I help?

Neighbors and businesses have generously supported other tiny house villages through donations of hot meals, blankets and clothing. Please contact Josh Castle at jcastle@lihi.org for information about how you can support True Hope Village.

What is the staffing plan?

A LIHI staff person will be on duty 24/7 to monitor activities and respond to inquiries from both residents and community members. The staff will perform regular perimeter checks, organize trash cleanups, and respond to neighbors. LIHI will also provide an onsite case manager to support residents’ housing search and help connect them to other community supports as needed.

Will drug or alcohol use be permitted at this village?

No. True Hope Village will be drug and alcohol free.

Are there environmental concerns with this piece of property?

Several decades ago the site housed a dry-cleaning business that disposed of chemicals onto the ground. An environmental assessment has revealed no health hazard to people living at the site provided that sleeping structures are elevated off the ground to provide constant air flow. All sleeping structures will meet this requirement. The barrels on the site were left-over from the soil assessment and are scheduled to be removed.

Is it possible for me to tour the village?

Yes. True Hope Village will welcome neighbors and provided tours.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about how we are responding to the crisis of homelessness in Seattle