information from District 1 Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold
I’m happy to share that the encampment at Myers Way has been resolved, under the leadership of the State Right of Way Safety Initiative and King County Regional Homelessness Authority. Importantly, almost everyone living there has moved into a safe shelter or housing that meets their needs and has a pathway to permanent homes. I appreciate the patience of the encampment’s neighbors to allow this work to move forward.
Here’s the update provided by WSDOT last week:
After two months of state partners actively working with service providers, local partners, law enforcement and neighbors, WSDOT crews posted a notice to vacate the encampment at Myers Way this morning. Service providers with KCRHA (REACH and PDA/CoLEAD) have offered services and housing that would reasonably match the needs of the people on site. Over 80% of those who were staying at the site have been matched with shelter or housing that will work for them; many have already moved to those accommodations. Outreach workers will continue to help everyone who has accepted housing to move off site over the next several days. Next week, WSDOT will begin cleaning and repairing the site, removing excess vegetation and making other modifications at the site to help prevent resettlement.
This approach to resolving encampments – building trust with residents, assessing their needs individually, matching them with the right shelter, and identifying a pathway to permanent housing – is the only approach proven to work for permanently closing encampments. Otherwise, encampment residents simply set up camp at a new location – or leave temporarily and return in a few days or weeks. Learn more about this approach:
