Yesterday, my office visited Camp Second Chance, a well-organized, self-managed, clean and sober homeless encampment in Seattle. It is currently located on unused city-owned land, in one of the Myers Way Parcels.
At the beginning of August, with only 72 hours’ notice, the City almost evicted them with a characteristically inhumane homeless sweep. Homeless activists, public outcry, and coverage by local journalists prevented that sweep and won a postponement. However, they could face another eviction attempt despite model behavior.
Seattle must stop the sweeps and invest in housing, the only real solution to homelessness.
Below are some photos showing the effective organization of Camp Second Chance. The City should not sweep this camp!
| Signs on the fence in front of Camp Second Chance make their mission clear. | ||
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| Camp Second Chance residents sit in the camp’s welcome tent to great visitors and keep the camp secure. |
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| The encampment is organized for cooking and sanitation. | ||
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| Five empty tents are kept available for new people who may have nowhere to sleep. |
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| While visiting, a neighborhood resident stopped by the camp to say hello, and to donate supplies. |
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| All along Myers Way, outside Camp Second Chance, there is illegally dumped garbage (pictured below), but Camp Second Chance collects their garbage and place it neatly where City staff recommends. | |||
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