Homeless site Camp Second Chance gets extension on city permit

Lost in the constant headlines about the homeless issue are those quietly making a real difference. Camp Second Chance on Myers Way is one such place, and recently received an extension on its city permit from the Human Services Department (HSD).

Started by non-profit Patacara and managed by the Low Income Housing Institute, the goal of this sober homeless encampment is to move its residents into housing. This is just one of the city’s requirements in remaining on the previously vacant city land, which includes: maintaining a percentage of homeless who exit into permanent housing, property use which doesn’t pose a threat to residents or neighbors, and the ultimate impact on the neighboring community.

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Camp Second Chance, located at 9701 Myers Way South, exceeded all of the above requirements. In the past year, 139 people experiencing homelessness were helped by the camp. Data from the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) shows that 26 percent of them moved into permanent housing.

Seattle’s Human Services Department says that there has been no negative impact on the surrounding area. As a result, the camp is able to continue at the site for an additional 12 months. The city’s contribution to Camp Second Chance in 2018 is nearly $200,000.

The Human Services Department spends $936,000 on annual operating costs for three of the city’s homeless villages, including Camp Second Chance, Licton Springs, and Georgetown.

The city notes that there are unsanctioned homeless camps that have existed in the greenbelt along Meyers Way for years. Some have popped up near Camp Second Chance and the city has sent its Navigation Team to contact those campers. One person accepted an offer to move to a sanctioned camp earlier this year.

The conditions of this area — its steep hill and soft soil for example — make clean up of debris difficult during fall and winter months. The city has packed away garbage on a weekly basis since May 2017. City crews cleaned a considerable portion of this area in March when garbage added to flood risks.

Camp Second Chance began with a broken city lock

It’s been a somewhat unique journey for the encampment, which was created when Patacara director Polly Trout broke a lock to gain access to vacant city land and set it up. City contractors soon arrived with notices that the camp would be removed. But neighbors supported it and the city subsequently issued a permit, adding it to the five sanctioned homeless camps already operating in Seattle.

That contract provides the homeless encampment with a range of services, including garbage, water, case management, and client assistance. Patacara has also raised thousands in private donations, since the contract is on a reimbursement basis.

“Our primary goals are to provide a safe, healthy, supportive community for people experiencing the trauma of homelessness,” Trout told MyNorthwest last year upon securing the contract. “And to move people as quickly as possible into suitable indoor housing.”

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