City Council considers homeless camp alternatives

The Aberdeen City Council met on Wednesday night for a workshop to review and discuss the issue of homelessness within the city since the closing of the river camp and the establishment of a temporary camp behind City Hall last July. Council members used it to share some of their insights into the subject that has roiled the city.

In order for the city to enforce its laws against camping on the streets, there must be available public space for authorized camping. The temporary camp’s permit expires in March. The council must decide what to do when it does.

Mayor Pete Schave said at the workshop that at least one-third of the homeless would “move on” without the camp behind City Hall and the needle exchange (which is also near downtown Aberdeen but not the responsibility of the city), but that he wouldn’t try to force the city to close the camp.

“I’m working as a team member of this group and we’re going to find a solution,” he said.

City Council President Dee Anne Shaw said the council had three choices:

• Do nothing and let the camp’s permit expire in March.

• Extend the permit.

• Find an alternate site.

Shaw said the city needs a homeless camp until the county joins the effort to make a plan for the county’s homeless population, which is concentrated in Aberdeen.

Former Council President and current Ward 1 council member Tawni Andrews said she favors moving the homeless camp to the Michigan Street property the city bought last year for the purpose of establishing a camp. She added that the county needs to step up financially.

Andrews’ Ward 1 seatmate Shaney Crosby said she doesn’t like the Michigan Street property because she thinks it will cause a fight with the railroad that owns the tracks next to it. She said that, in general, the city owns too many properties and should consider selling some of them to finance the purchase of a different site. She added that the single tents at the current camp are too inviting and that she would prefer one large FEMA tent with cots. She said the needle exchange should be moved out of Aberdeen to East County.

New Ward 2 Council member Nathan Kennedy said the city needs “a place for people to heal.” He stressed that homelessness is a nationwide issue and that the council should consider the reasons for homelessness, including drugs, mental illness and cheap rent in Aberdeen.

Ward 3 member Tim Alstrom said the real money issue is the operating costs of the camp, not property purchases. His concern about the Michigan Street property or another alternate site was whether a zoning change would be required to go through a hearings examiner. He said closing the City Hall camp wouldn’t make the problem go away.

Fellow Ward 3 member Kati Kachman said “We saw what it was like before (the homeless camp),” adding that the council needs to find a solution rather than go back to how it was. She said she had concerns about the Michigan Street site and wants to know more about it.

Ward 4 Councilwoman Deborah Ross said that her concern with the current site behind City Hall was that it’s too small and that there’s no room for visitors. She said she’s not opposed to the Michigan Street site and is open to other alternatives. She added that the county should do more to help the situation.

New Ward 5 Councilman Joshua Francy said he’s experienced homelessness himself and that the city needs a homeless camp to get people the help they need.

Ward 6 Councilman Frank Gordon said he’s concerned about safety issues at the Michigan Street site. He said Aberdeen should get help from other communities in the county and that the council’s response to the issue should be guided by “compassion for fellow man.”

Police and fire chiefs weigh in

During the meeting, Aberdeen’s Police and Fire chiefs briefed the council on public safety issues at the homeless camp and compared them to issues at the former river camp.

“The majority of property crimes that are being committed are fueled by drug addiction,” said Aberdeen Police Chief Steve Shumate.

He said police responded to 146 calls at the former river camp property from Aug. 1, 2018 until Jan. 27, 2019, compared to 290 calls at the City Hall camp between Aug 1, 2019 until Jan. 27, 2020. Despite the higher call volume at the City Hall camp, Shumate said the calls are much different than the calls they used to respond to at the river camp. A lot of the calls to the river camp were self-initiated by the Police Department for crimes such as thefts from Safeway or calls from the camp for crimes such as fights, sexual assaults, stabbings and shots fired. The calls to the City Hall camp are mainly generated by camp security for rules violations, he said.

Shumate said the positives about the homeless camp include that it’s well-managed and centrally located.

“Having a designated location for our homeless community should make it easier for social services to access clients, and to mitigate the number of unsanctioned encampments we have in the city,” he said.

Currently there are several unsanctioned encampments that the police department deals with frequently, including the Saginaw mill site, the Terrace Avenue area, Randall Street, Maple and First, Bi-Mart near the railroad tracks and under the Chehalis River Bridge near F and River Streets, he said.

Among the negatives about the current camp, Shumate cited illegal drug activity and its impact on the neighborhood. He added that there are too many people within a small footprint at the camp.

Fire Chief Tom Hubbard said there’s only been one fire so far at the City Hall camp, compared to 12 during the same period at the river camp the year before. He said there hasn’t been a significant change in EMS calls for the City Hall camp compared to the river camp. He said he looks at that as a positive.

“It means people are getting access to care,” Hubbard said.

Hubbard said it’s much safer for first responders to go to the City Hall camp compared to the river camp.

Aberdeen Police Chief Steve Shumate briefs City Council about public safety considerations of the homeless camp. (Thorin Sprandel | Grays Harbor News Group)

Aberdeen Fire Chief Tom Hubbard briefs City Council about public safety considerations of the homeless camp. (Thorin Sprandel | Grays Harbor News Group)

Aberdeen City Council 6th Ward members Frank Gordon and Dee Anne Shaw at the homeless camp workshop on Wednesday evening. (Thorin Sprandel | Grays Harbor News Group)