In the interest of protecting the health and safety of all Olympia residents, the City of Olympia will remove and clear the encampment on Deschutes Parkway on December 8.
Owners of the property on which the encampment is located have requested that the City enforce trespass laws and remove the encampment, and the eviction moratorium in Washington state expired after October 31. During the week of November 15, the City began giving notice to the individuals living at the encampment, and a formal, written notice will be posted on December 3.
The City will begin the process of removing all debris, trash and garbage on December 8, and all individuals living at the encampment will need to leave by 8 a.m. that day. The portable restrooms at the location will be removed as well. After the encampment is removed and cleared, reoccupation of the property will be treated as trespassing and will not be allowed.
For the clean-up of the property, Deschutes Parkway will be closed from Lakeridge Drive to 5th Avenue on December 8 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The City does not have the resources to provide alternative shelter options for all the individuals from the encampment, and unfortunately, there are not enough shelter beds available in our community. However, City staff are working on-site with the individuals to find alternative places for them to live. Anyone who can offer inside space for individuals from the encampment can contact Kim Kondrat, the City’s homeless response coordinator, at 360.742.6448 or at kkondrat@ci.olympia.wa.us. Please also contact Kondrat to donate items like socks, handwarmers, tarps, sleeping bags and water.
For more information about this project, visit the City of Olympia's FAQs page.
The above was provided at 11:58 a.m. today by the City of Olympia.
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PollyinWA
If they ate not from here (Washington), offer bus fare to them to go back where they came from.
Wednesday, December 1, 2021 Report this
PollyinWA
*are
Wednesday, December 1, 2021 Report this
AugieH
It's about time! Did the City of Olympia's commissioners finally grow a collective spine, you think? I hope the clean-up crew is being given hazardous duty pay.
Wednesday, December 1, 2021 Report this
MartyKenney
Curious what is expected to happen to these folks who are being evicted from their home. Yes it’s true the house less folks are trespassing and the owners have every right to request removal considering it’s their private property they have been allowing people to live for free on this long. However, without a plan, these people are just going to find another encampment to live at, in another part of town, making just as much of n impact, now one step backwards from where they were. Also a bit frustrating to me that “residents” are only given 3 weeks notice, when a typical tenant is required to revive 30 days. Seriously though, what’s the plan here??? There’s literally no housing or places for them to go. Even a house-less friend I know with a housing voucher is being declined from 43 apartments they have applied for because they don’t have a recent rental history for their background check.... Just disappointing To me that the only answer from our society for this problem is “clean them out and don’t ask questions”.
Wednesday, December 1, 2021 Report this
Theolympians
I could be completely wrong here, but I don't think it's necessarily the folks living on this property that is the specific issue. It's the filth they they have created and strewn about to create a giant disgusting health hazard.
Friday, December 3, 2021 Report this
MikePelly
Kim Kondrat, homeless response coordinator, 360.742.6448 kkondrat@ci.olympia.wa.us. Hello Kim, As the city's homeless response coordinator I urge you to establish suitable alternative housing for the people the city plans to kick out on Dec. 8th. I have two suggestions I urge the city to incorporate to this end. The first is to happen immediately, open up the currently very unused gym and and showers at the Olympia Community center as emergency humane alternative accomodations. Especially in light of fact said eviction is happening right at the start of the harshest time of year to be living without warm secure respite from the weather. The city can hire people to provide 24 hour management of the center and the police department can make regular unscheduled patrols at center and as a place for them to take their work or bathroom breaks as a way to keep Nar do Wells from coming around. The second suggestion is for the city to lease or buy a couple of the many empty strip mall stores in commercial neighborhoods and not prone to NIMBY backlash, served by public transit. Build inside them individual micro apartments with common kitchen and social spaces. This is a quicker to deploy (by just internal remodeling verse building entirely from ground up) and longer term solution or step back to living in a regular stable housing situation.
Saturday, December 4, 2021 Report this
AugieH
Nar do Wells? That's ne'er-do-wells.
Sunday, December 5, 2021 Report this