ENCAMPMENTS: Two West Seattle sites may be ‘months’ from action

(WSB photo, Harbor Avenue last week)

Two West Seattle RV-encampment sites continue to be the subject of much discussion at community meetings – usually with local police commanders who aren’t the final decisionmakers on city action. So as promised, we sought official updates from the city’s homelessness-response spokesperson, Linda Robson. Here’s what we heard back:

2ND/MICHIGAN: This is the state-owned site by the 1st Avenue South Bridge where, according to Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Dorothy Kim, more than 100 stolen vehicles have been recovered and actual residents are estimated only in single digits. She also told the SWP Crime Prevention Council that a sweep had been scheduled – and then suddenly scrapped. According to Robson:

The site you note is part of a large area that is WSDOT jurisdiction. The encampment response will require the coordination of multiple jurisdictions and City departments, including WSDOT and KCRHA, so naturally scheduling can get a bit complicated, and we expect that clean-up will take several days. The Unified Care Team is actively working with WSDOT on scheduling in the coming weeks and months.

We also asked about Harbor Avenue, where scattered groupings total about a dozen RVs/trailers, plus other vehicles as well as several tents and canopies. Robson’s reply:

The City’s Unified Care Team has been monitoring conditions along Harbor Ave SW, recognizing the need to ensure a coordinated approach in addressing multiple encampment sites along a significant stretch of Harbor Avenue. Based on this approach and available resource capacity, we expect these sites to be resolved in Quarter 1, 2023. In the meantime, the UCT is conducting regular trash removal and cleaning in the area.

Harbor Avenue was a central topic at a meeting six weeks ago. After receiving. Robson’s replies, we also checked with one of the city officials who participated in that meeting, Councilmember Lisa Herbold. She said she hasn’t received any date specifics either, and is working to get clarification on the current prioritization process.

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