SEATTLE — Since work began at the Myers Way Encampment in Seattle, 30 people have been placed into housing according to Nichole Alexander, Director of Special Initiatives and Outreach with Purpose.Dignity.Action.
PDA, working with other service organizations like Evergreen Treatment Services' REACH, goes to the encampment daily to build relationships with those living there.
"We've been working on-site with individuals for a couple of months now to really get to know folks and bridge them into getting into lodging," Alexander said. "We ask for a lot of time when we work at one of these sites, six plus weeks, to work at a site to see somebody every single day because I want to know you on your best day and your worst day."
Alexander says the slow, deliberate approach is how lasting change is created, keeping people in housing and helping them rebuild their lives. She notes many of the unhoused have been on the streets for years, so you can't place them in housing without supportive services.
"When you're talking about 35 to 40% of the people who are in there have already taken housing, I think that's a pretty positive thing," said Diane Radischat, who lives at Arrowhead Gardens, part of the Sustainable Housing for Ageless Generations (SHAG).
The senior living community has borne the brunt of problems associated with being so close to the encampment. Radischat is the community's association president. She believes the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is holding up its end of the agreement it made to residents at a meeting back in July.
"It's not going to happen overnight. I explained that in the beginning. We would like it to happen faster, but it is going forward," Radischat said.
"When we're bringing folks in, if you have the appropriate resources for someone to be able to grow in their journey, most of the time it works," Alexander said.
WSDOT and its community partners, like PDA and REACH, hope to have everyone in housing and the encampment cleaned up by the end of the year. From PDA's list of 36 people they knew by name, 30 have been placed in housing.
While it's hard to get an accurate count of those left, Alexander says they try every day to connect with everyone.