Neighbors push back against Seattle's homeless encampment in SLU

Seattle residents pushed back against Seattle's plans for a homeless camp in South Lake Union.

Dozens sounded off at a packed community meeting with city leaders, homeless advocates and planners talking about a potential Tiny House Village at Aloha Street and 8th Avenue in South Lake Union.

Dozens who live near the site, have walked by the city owned property and noticed signs posted for the Thursday evening community meeting about the camp that could feature five dozen tiny houses. Some of those generic meeting signs garnered a response in the form of more signs talking about the risks of placing the camp at the site.

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Residents peppered representatives and organizers from the Low Income Housing Institute with questions. At one point, a woman who said she was homeless got in a verbal argument with someone who was critical of the plan for the camp.

“I'm just fearful what happens in SLU isn't just going to be in SLU,“ said Zack Fernandez, who channeled a bit of the Las Vegas visitors slogan to make his statement. He says a low barrier to entry for drug and alcohol users is a concern that could spread beyond the camp. “I don't like the possibility of more drugs and more alcohol.”

Fernandez said he moved out of Capitol Hill to escape concerns with the homeless, and he was not the only one at the meeting with a similar story. Several people at the meeting said they moved from other areas of the city to leave issues with the homeless behind.

The city of Seattle and its partners want to put five dozen tiny houses for the homeless on the fenced-off site along Aloha Street. Several people asked officials if the plan was a done deal, and whether the meeting where they were all getting a chance to speak was simply a formality.

For some the answer became less clear as the meeting wore on, including Carol Asund,. “I just feel like it's a done deal which really pisses me off.”

John Wisdom of Speak Out Seattle also felt people raising concerns were doing it all in vain, and that the city had already made up its mind. “It's like a steamroller.”

Meg Olberding, external communications director for Seattle’s Department of Human Services, said the site at South Lake Union, and other sites around the city slated for sanctioned homeless camps are still works in progress. “This is not a done deal. Community engagement community conversations that we had tonight (and) we will have another one.”

The SLU village could be a mix of drug and alcohol users with those who are clean and sober. Candy Wilvang spoke up at the meeting with her story. She says she was homeless once, and programs helped her. She admits she’s never had to stay in a camp, and never lived in temporary housing akin to a Tiny House Village but she said the village could lift everyone out of homelessness. “A community where they all work together to better themselves is definitely better than being out there alone on the streets,” she said.

Asund admits she’s not so sure. She wants to see more records on what it will cost to run the villages and if money that’s already been spent has worked, “I hear the millions and billions of dollars they're talking about throwing into homelessness and it's growing!”

The SLU village would have 24-hour security and restricted access.

Olberding said comments from this meeting will help them make a decision, and the plan is still being formulated. “There is no exact timeline, but we do know time is of the essence.”

Mayor Jenny Durkan said the plans for this site, are part of a larger plan to get thousands out of unsanctioned camps and into shelters.

Cox Media Group