Green River homeless encampment in King County being removed

Neighbors living near the intersection of Green River Road and 94th Place South in unincorporated King County have had enough and are happy to see a sprawling homeless encampment being cleared away starting Monday.

The encampment has been close to Kent for years.

More on encampment clearings: City of Seattle clears a homeless encampment in Ballard neighborhood

It was largely ignored during the COVID-19 pandemic and was allowed to grow significantly. Now, the county is saying the camp and its safety concerns can no longer be ignored.

“Despite attempts to keep people off the road. The campsites are coming out onto the road. The vehicles are coming out into the road, and we’re very concerned about the safety of the folks that are here and the traveling public,” John Taylor with the Department of Local Services told KIRO Newsradio.

Workers are clearing away old cars and campers and lots of garbage. The plan is, once everything is cleared away, to begin to enforce no parking ordinances and place barricades in the area to prevent the cam from reemerging.

Those people who are displaced are being offered assistance to help them decide where they go from here.

“We’re trying to provide them with services,” Taylor said. “We’re offering them a parking lot they can go to, to kind of get organized and get on their way. But they won’t be coming back here.”

More on encampment clearings: Homeless encampment cleared in Beacon Hill

Clearing this sprawling camp will take time. In fact, the intersection will be closed until Nov. 22. Those who need to drive through this area can look for detour signs to make their way around the closure.

“It’s going very smoothly,” Taylor continued. “We’re really pleased with the way things are going, and I think the neighbors are going to like the results they see when we’re done.”

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