Effort to move people camping along WA I-5 into shelter successful so far, Inslee says
Efforts to remove unhoused people from right of ways and into transitional housing are already seeing “early success” in Washington, Gov. Jay Inslee said Wednesday.
“I am pleased to say that we are making some solid progress in this regard,” Inslee told reporters at a news conference at the Capitol in Olympia Wednesday afternoon. “That is in part because we’ve had really good cooperation from our local partners working on this.”
Thurston County, particularly, is where the governor said state agencies have been most successful in removing encampments and finding those without housing “alternative places to be safe under a roof,” while also providing supportive services.
The joint effort is between local governments, the Washington state Department of Transportation, the Department of Commerce and Washington State Patrol, according to Emily Glad, acting communications director for WSDOT.
“Encampments along right(s) of way pose a clear safety risk to people living unsheltered, highway maintenance crews and the general traveling public,” Glad told McClatchy in an email. “We are working with our partners to ensure a compassionate, effective, sustainable response that focuses on helping people move to shelter and housing.”
In the first month, people from four encampments have been moved into safer housing options, Inslee noted.
Two of those homeless encampments were on Lilly Road in Olympia, one was located under the State Route 520 Portage Bay Bridge in Seattle and another was under I-5 at Olive Way in Seattle, Glad said.
“Fortunately we were successful in working with the legislature to come up with substantial appropriations to be able to afford to do this work,” Inslee said during the news conference. “This work is going to continue. I believe you will see some significant improvements on the I-5 corridor in the months to come.”
The governor first floated the idea of transitioning those without housing out of rights of way in his legislative priorities for 2022. A bill was requested by the governor’s office during the legislative session to establish an office within the Department of Health and Human Services to identify needs and help provide those types of services, but that proposed legislation did not pass.
Instead, a proviso was added to the budget passed this year to fund right of way removal and transitional housing. About $8 million went to WSDOT, while the Department of Commerce, who is responsible for matching people with housing vacancies, received about $45 million initially.
More than $800 million was allocated from the legislature this year for homelessness programs, a record amount of money in the state for such programs.
Inslee told reporters Wednesday that the project is still under budget so far, and that recently the Department of Commerce came up with additional funding for the project.
In the coming months, the governor said state agencies will accelerate the project “as much as humanly possible.” Other housing alternatives such as tiny homes, hotels, and existing low-income housing all need to be freed up to make the project successful, he said.
While the governor recognized the need for mental health services as well, he said that “fundamentally we need more housing.” Restrictions such as zoning laws make it impossible to build enough housing, so the governor said he hopes the legislature will work to find a solution during the upcoming session.
Glad told McClatchy that “the primary consideration for timing when an encampment will be cleaned up is dependent on the availability of housing and shelter options.”
“Once housing and shelter is available, local partners need sufficient time to conduct outreach at an encampment and store belongings,” she said. “Once these activities have occurred, and law enforcement is available to provide safety and security for people on site and work crews, WSDOT can cleanup an encampment.”
Discussions with partners in Spokane to remove a large encampment there also are underway, Inslee said.
This story was originally published July 21, 2022 at 11:19 AM.
