Homeless in Bremerton notified that law against camping will be enforced as shelter opens

No sooner than when the sun rose on November 1 did the City of Bremerton’s newly revised unauthorized camping ordinance go into effect. The long-debated tool to address growing encampments of homeless residents led to enforcement in the morning along MLK Way and the surrounding area of downtown, catching homeless advocates off guard but also ushered some individuals toward the Salvation Army's winter overnight shelter, which opened that night.

Under direction from Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler, police officers and a navigator approached homeless campers in tents on Broadway Avenue, MLK Way, 8th Street, and near the Warren Avenue playfield, advising people that the city’s ordinance 5482 was in effect and that they were breaking the law if they stayed in their spots any longer.

Unauthorized camping was made illegal by the ordinance, passed in September, provided there is overnight shelter available. Until November 1, the ordinance was unenforceable, allowing homeless campers to congregate anywhere. But after the Salvation Army on Sixth Street transitioned its main multi-purpose room into a shelter Wednesday afternoon and opened its doors, staying anywhere outside besides the 24-hour shelter will result in a misdemeanor – unless its 75 beds fill up.

Homeless residents trickled into the Salvation Army shelter all throughout the day, reported Salvation Army Capt. Dana Walters. There were 55 guests during the day for meals, and 40 people spent the night at the shelter, reported Walters. She said more are expected to use the service in the coming nights as the weather continues to be cold and rainy.

As police officers set out with city navigators and case managers from the HEART and REAL teams, they saw 100% compliance from individuals who have been living on the street, Wheeler said Wednesday. Some weren’t aware of the new law going into effect, though Wheeler said case managers did extensive outreach tent to tent to notify campers of city expectations. No arrests were made by the time the Kitsap Sun spoke with Wheeler in the early afternoon.

If a camper were to “drag their feet and take a while, depending on what the situation is, the general rule of thumb is they’re getting arrested,” Wheeler said, saying that campers seemed to have been moving on from their spaces, some heading towards the shelter.

Kimmy Siebens, a nurse and volunteer who's worked with the homeless community for years, said she spent the day responding to calls from people at the encampment after the authorities began making contact. She’d previously handed out cards with the phone number for her organization, Rock the Block. Throughout the day, people were calling her, telling her they needed a place to stay now that the ordinance was being enforced.

“I think everyone's just really scared and doesn't know where to go,” Siebens said as she stood amidst the encampment on MLK Way alongside REAL team members, Rock the Block and police officers. On Wednesday, officers were not forcing anyone to move immediately.

As law enforcement arrived at the encampment on Broadway Avenue, behind the Starbucks and Burger King, campers there began to travel across Warren Avenue toward the MLK Way encampment, Siebens said. Throughout the encampments, people began to gather the belongings they could transport and move out, though on Thursday morning, the lines of tents were still present on several streets.

Not all of the campers were moving towards the Salvation Army's shelter, Siebens said.

“They're hiding...” Siebens said. “They're scared. They're not moving on. They're still here in our neighborhood, but they're hiding now amongst the neighborhood.”

Wheeler clarified that 100% compliance with the ordinance meant that people verbally acknowledged they would be moving from the area where they were camped but not necessarily that they were going to stay at the Salvation Army shelter.

Siebens watched group after group of homeless campers hauling their tents and belongings in grocery carts across the Warren Avenue Bridge, where she said people were heading outside Bremerton city limits, where the ordinance won’t be applicable. They know that if they relocate somewhere in the city, law enforcement will eventually find them, Siebens said.

“None of them are going to tell us right now,” Siebens said when asked where people from the encampments may relocate.

There are 245 homeless people in Kitsap County according to a 2023 point in time count, 58% of which were surveyed in Bremerton.

Siebens said many homeless people she’s spoken with across the encampments say they can't stay at the Salvation Army's overnight shelter because they don’t want to reduce their belongings, they want independence from a routine, they don’t want to have to move outside in the cold during cleaning periods, they want to cook for themselves and they are afraid of theft and the spread of illnesses like COVID-19 in a congregate space.

At the Salvation Army shelter, guests can find shelter 24 hours, Walters said, though they do ask guests to leave the area for 30 minutes following breakfast and lunch so that staff can sanitize the area. During that time, people are allowed to store belongings that fit in a contractor-size bag in the hallway. After dinner wraps up and before the shelter starts, check in at 7 p.m.. However, guests must take their belongings out with them.

Wheeler said that case managers accompanying law enforcement have been working to identify homeless campers who wouldn’t qualify for overnight shelter on a case-by-case basis, for instance, people who are incontinent or have been trespassed in the past, helping officers determine if enforcing the ordinance was appropriate or not.

As campers spread out far and wide, Siebens just hopes that they will eventually call her, Rock the Block and other service providers once they find a place to rest and let them know where they are.

“We have been with case management and getting people the treatment and whatnot, but now that they're scattered, it's going to be super hard to help those people,” Siebens said.

Wheeler’s team will monitor capacity at the Salvation Army shelter daily to determine if enforcing the ordinance is still appropriate, he said. Law enforcement is currently focusing their efforts on the most prevalent encampments like those on MLK Way, Broadway Avenue and Eighth and Ninth Streets first, but will soon move to other encampments, all the while keeping an eye out for any new setups that may begin.

There are still tents and people’s belongings sitting outside of them at all of the encampments, but Wheeler said the city will see a noticeable difference by Sunday. If belongings are not picked up, they will be posted with a 72-hour notice, after which city teams will clear any abandoned items.

Siebens said she’s already seen teams begin to tag and clear homeless people's things here and there.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Winter shelter opening in Bremerton means encampments will be cleared