2/28/23 - WSDOT & agency partners: Pasadena/Ship Canal Bridge Canal update

Dear John Stanford International School parents,

On behalf of WSDOT, Washington State Patrol, Commerce and KCRHA, I wanted to share the latest
updates related to closing the Pasadena/Ship Canal Bridge encampment site.

• Officer presence – Seattle Police Department officers will have a regular presence in the
area as staffing and availability allow.
• Downsizing of encampment – work since Thurs. Feb. 16 has significantly decreased the
overall size of the encampment in both area size and number of individuals living
unsheltered. Contractor presence and increased outreach often results in attrition within
encampments and that has happened at the Pasadena encampment as well. Our most
recent reports indicate that fifteen individuals are living unsheltered and receiving service
provision. Of that, one individual has received shelter placement and six more are on the
priority list awaiting housing referrals.

We have heard several questions and concerns related to what happens to individuals that
refuse housing. Experience shows that the vast majority of people we interact with are
grateful for the offers of housing or services, but for the few that might refuse, they will be
trespassed off the site. While the goal is to bring as many as possible indoors permanently,
we recognize that we cannot involuntarily force a person into a particular option. We will
make every effort to encourage housing and will protect the site from future encampment
usage.

• Trash, debris and vegetation removal – Twenty one trailer loads of trash and debris have
been removed from the site since Feb.22 which improves fire mitigation significantly by
removing potential flammable material and allows for better access and sight lines. Thanks
to our partners at the City of Seattle, trash pickup will continue regularly.
Continued work this week to close the encampment includes:

• Implement access control – install fencing to manage and downsize the overall footprint of
the encampments. Contractors also installed locks on existing gates and signage to deter
access to “off limits” areas and are creating a single entrance and exit on both the east and
west side of the encampment to provide better access control.
• Continued fencing – Ongoing repair of existing fencing and additional fencing to block
existing access points, remove access to cleared areas of the encampment and at the
northern end of both sides of the encampment to inhibit people from crossing the express
lanes to traverse one part of the site to the other. Fencing efforts restrict growth of the site
and ultimately aids in efforts to close the encampment and prevent future inhabitation longer
term.
• Site improvements – continued vegetation and debris removal to mitigate fire concerns
and increase access control and sightlines necessary for monitoring the site by law
enforcement.
• Tent removal – contractors will work with outreach and service providers to determine
vacated tents and remove them.
• Sanitation improvements – Portable toilets and hygiene stations were installed on Mon.
Feb 27, an important harm reduction measure that improves sanitation both within the
 encampment as well as neighboring properties and protecting the area from public health
and environmental concerns.
• Expanded outreach – Outreach workers continue assessing and assisting encampment
residents find support, programs and housing. Crews are on site seven days a week to
ensure the important, but time-intensive, work proceeds as quickly as possible.
All these activities are centered on increasing the safety and security around the school and surrounding
neighborhood while finding housing for those living unsheltered within the encampment. As housing
becomes available, outreach workers are actively transitioning individuals at the encampment into the
housing options and services that meet their needs. This approach is what’s necessary to keep people
from simply moving to another encampment, and it has been working. More than 90% of individuals
transitioned out of encampments in the state’s Right of Way Safety Initiative remain housed.

Please consider this our agencies’ combined response to the emails that many of you have shared with
WSDOT, WSP, Commerce and KCRHA. I will continue to provide updates and answer questions as these
actions take place.

I appreciate your time and will provide another update early next week to report on progress at the site.

Sincerely,
Brian Nielsen
Regional Administrator, Northwest Region