County clears the last residents from long-running Veterans Memorial Park encampment

Chris Field, who has been living in an encampment in Port Orchard's Veterans Memorial Park for the last three years, was one of the last to leave on Friday, as Kitsap County homeless outreach workers cleared the last of the encampments following an order of eviction that was posted in early April for the county park.

Field — and his black cat, Midnight — was one of several residents of the long-running encampment who received hotel vouchers and other offers of shelter ahead of a sweep of the park by county outreach workers and Kitsap County Sheriff's deputies on Friday — the deadline for residents to leave.

Now Field has a place to go, at least temporarily, with Midnight, though he had to leave most everything else he owned behind at the park.

Along with county homeless outreach workers, including the county’s new HEART coordinator Jarrod Moran and sheriff's deputies, homeless advocates were on-site on Friday, observing the sweep. Some held signs in support of the residents who were vacated and criticized Kitsap County's move to clear the park.

According to Moran, most of the residents had cleared by Friday, and there was just one resident left. At its peak, the encampment housed about 25 people. Many, like Field, were longtime residents.

Moran said those in the park were connected with resources through Kitsap Community Resources, which offers case management to connect them with various services in the community. KCR had a van to take people to where they needed to go from the park. Moran said residents of the encampment were grateful to be connected to services.

Moran said the compassionate piece of the process was important to him, and as of Friday morning, there were no incidents at the park or need for law enforcement.

As the remaining stragglers moved out Friday morning, a construction crew moved in, removing structures and trash. Those who were vacated from the park were offered storage for personal items for 30 days, Moran said. Some had too many items to take with them to their new destination.

Concerns by homeless advocates

Kimmy Siebens, a Bremerton homeless advocate who also runs a nonprofit to assist pet owners who are homeless, came to show her support for those forced to leave the park. Others came with her, holding signs that said things like “stop the stereotypes.”

She admitted being disappointed with the process, hoping that the HEART team would have coordinated more with longtime homeless advocates ahead of the sweep of Veterans Park. Many things like tents and sleeping bags were purchased by advocates for those living in the park. Now, all those items are being thrown into dumpsters, she said.

“I just want us all to be cohesive,” she said. “It feels like a rug was pulled out from under us and now we’re scrambling.”

While it's good those in the encampment will be getting 29 days in a hotel, she has concerns about the case management that will follow and the long-term prospects for shelter. Typically, hotels won’t renew their contract for the voucher program, she said.

“That concerns me,” she said.

She also worries about the few who didn’t get into the voucher program and weren’t connected with resources until Friday. The hotels are filled up, she said, and now they’re alone without their community or camp.

Siebens said she felt like the sweep was "cruel" and goes against the federal court ruling Martin v. Boise, which says homeless people cannot be prohibited from camping on public land unless there are alternatives for shelter, which Siebens says there is not enough of.

“The homeless are victims, not criminals,” Siebens said. “They can’t fight back.”

What's needed more than sweeps, hotel vouchers, cleanups and storage lockers is mental health treatment and affordable housing, she said. She worries Friday's sweep will set a precedent and be a model for other encampments in the county.

Frank Block said the county's struggle over Veterans Memorial Park — the city of Port Orchard has issued several code enforcement violations and ordered Kitsap County to clean up the county-owned park in the city — is bringing the problem of homelessness to the forefront, adding that Veterans Park "is the perfect place to be homeless.”

Block, who used to be homeless, showed up at the sweep to show his support. He said the park is close to resources and stores.

He said transitioning to shelter is not easy for those used to being homeless.

“You lose a lot of the skills to live in a house. You’re used to sleeping on the ground.”

Siebens and Block said many find out those who are homeless are grandparents or elderly people whose benefits don’t support them enough for housing.

Jeff Campbell, another homeless advocate who held a “stop the stereotypes” sign, said he believes the community wants to move toward a more compassionate approach. He repeated that what’s needed is affordable housing, but said housing is created by the community, and Kitsap County isn’t doing enough.

Siebens and the other advocates had food to pass out to those leaving the park. One encampment resident without a voucher or any idea of where to go came to get something to eat.

“We did this a little prematurely,” Siebens said to the woman.

'The housing isn't there'

Anton Preisinger, executive director of Northwest Hospitality who has been partnering with Kitsap County for months to clean up trash at the park, was also observing the sweep. He said he was impressed at how many people the county is successfully getting into hotels. He said hotels are a good first step but he doesn’t want the county to forget about the people in the hotels.

“If they stay in touch with people in the hotels that’s how it should go,” Preisinger said. “There are not enough shelter beds.”

Some people are moving from the park who really don’t want to, he said. He hopes the Kitsap County Sheriff doesn’t have to take any action if some return or don’t leave.

Preisinger echoed Sieben’s and others’ views as to why the problem exists in the first place.

“The housing isn’t there to move people into,” he said. “This whole thing is a housing problem, not a homelessness problem.”

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: April 29 sweep clears Veterans Park encampments