Seeing minors in ‘Jungle’ encampment is ‘extremely rare,’ outreach workers say
A child reported missing in Mesa, Arizona was found last week in Olympia’s 20-acre homeless encampment, known as “The Jungle.”
A U.S. Marshal’s press release said the child was reported missing in May, with law enforcement receiving information in June that the child was potentially being sex trafficked in Washington state. A deputy U.S. Marshal received an investigative lead bringing him to the 3200 block of Martin Way East, where the encampment has been active for over 10 years.
For Olympia-area homeless outreach programs, the situation is perplexing — they say Jungle residents generally tell homeless youth they can’t stay in the encampment.
“It is extremely rare for us to see children or youth at the Jungle,” executive director for Olympia Mutual Aid Partners Tye Gundel told The Olympian Monday.
OlyMAP provides outreach-based support for local unhoused populations, including those living at the Jungle. Gundel said organizers visit the 20-acre encampment on a week-to-week basis and distribute basic survival resources like potable water and warming supplies.
The nonprofit also offers case management services to assist in replacing IDs, accessing substance recovery, and finding housing. Gundel said that of the 102 people from the Jungle enrolled in OlyMAP’s case management program, none of them are under 18 years old.
According to Gundel, this dynamic reflects what volunteers see in the Jungle: homeless or runaway children are explicitly discouraged from staying in the encampment by its adult residents, who don’t want youth within its perimeter.
Local nonprofit Our Ark provides a support network for unhoused persons aged 13 to 25. Founder and CEO Danny Burkett estimated that Our Ark engages with only five to six minors in the Jungle every year, and that these young adults usually are on the cusp of turning 18.
“Normally, the status quo with the Jungle is no one is to go in under the age of 18,” Burkett said. “The fact that she went in, anything and everything can happen to a young person who is in there.”
Burkett said he did not work directly with the child found last week, but that the young adults he works with in the Jungle reported her to be under the age of 15. The U.S. Marshals declined to confirm the child’s age, citing the ongoing investigation of a minor, but confirmed the child to be a “juvenile female.”
While Our Ark rarely encounters minors in the Jungle, they have entered the encampment multiple times per week for the last ten years, working with young adults over the age of 18. The outreach team provides snack bags, hot meals and clothing to young people inside the Jungle, while also working toward the ultimate goal of reconnecting them with family.
While outreach teams encourage young people to leave the encampment, Burkett said it’s hard to influence teen choices with only a few hours of contact.
Many unhoused youth are often dissuaded from accepting outreach because volunteers are mandatory reporters, Gundel said. If organizers learn someone is under age 18 and living without a legal guardian, they are required by the state to report that person’s last known whereabouts to law enforcement. Gundel said that it’s hard to build trust when young people are afraid of being found.
Gundel said the outreach organizations know nothing more about the child found than the rest of the public — no law enforcement contacted them when the child was discovered.
‘Renewed community interest in The Jungle’
City of Olympia spokesperson Chappy Chapman shared a statement with The Olympian Monday evening.
“The City of Olympia is relieved that the missing young person has been located safely and is now receiving care and support,” it said. “Our thoughts are with the youth and their family during this difficult time.”
The statement went on to say that the city is: “grateful to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Olympia Police Department, and the many local, state, and federal partners whose coordinated efforts helped bring this case to a safe resolution. This remains an active investigation led by HSI. Because the investigation crosses state lines, the City will defer questions regarding the investigation to HSI.”
In May, the city of Olympia asked those living in the encampment to compile a by-name list of residents to help move people into housing as the city phases in a closure plan for the encampment. Gundel said the May list included over 300 people.
The city’s statement Monday said more information about the plan to close the encampment can be found at olympiawa.gov/community/housing___homelessness/jungle_encampment.php.
“We recognize this case has renewed community interest in The Jungle and the City’s ongoing efforts there,” the statement said. “Olympia remains committed to working with the City of Lacey, Thurston County, service providers, and other regional partners to connect people experiencing homelessness with available services and ultimately transition the encampment in a way that supports both its residents and the broader community.”