News

KIRO 7 takes you inside Seattle's RV clean-up pilot program

SEATTLE — Seattle is in its ninth month of a RV clean-up pilot program, aimed at addressing the thousands of pounds of trash and hazards left on the streets by people living in

Records show that since the program launched in September 2018, the city has cleaned up more than 160 tons of garbage and contacted more than 1200 RVs, including repeats.

During a recent clean-up on Colorado Avenue, crews removed 10 tons of garbage and harmful chemicals over the course of a few hours after 37 RVs vacated the premises. Rats scattered from the site.

"This type of garbage, this is pretty typical?” KIRO 7 reporter Linzi Sheldon asked Idris Beauregard, the manager of the RV pilot program and also manager of Seattle Public Utilities’ Graffiti and Illegal Dumping programs.

"This is pretty typical,” Beauregard said, “with the exception of some of the batteries that are around.”

The batteries Beauregard was referring to were several nickel cadmium batteries, large enough for equipment “like a forklift,” SPU Senior Environmental Compliance Inspector Eric Autry said. At least one had a crack and was leaking fluid.

In addition, Autry said, “we found an oil spill and it looks like we found some sewage,” he said.

KIRO 7 was initially kept behind a police line as Autry and his team assessed some of the dangers and vehicles, including a trash compactor, moved through.

The RV clean-up crew is aimed at addressing the public health and safety issues stemming from groups of RVs. It’s a multi-departmental effort with members from SPU, Seattle Parks, Seattle Police, and Seattle Animal Control. They also coordinate with non-profits, including The Union Gospel Mission and The Salvation Army.

Mickey Jordan and Tina Lewis with The Salvation Army told KIRO 7 that most people had left before they arrived. KIRO 7 saw two RVs in the process of leaving and one left after getting his RV battery jumpstarted by the Union Gospel Mission, who also gave him some gas.

"They’ve been awesome,” he said. “The police really went for me and gave me some extra time.”

"What are some of the biggest things that prevent them from taking up help?” Linzi Sheldon asked Jordan and Lewis.

"People have bad rental histories, addiction, low income… their life is out here,” Jordan said. “They have community out here.”

For many, their RV is their most valuable possession.

"It's very hard,” Lewis said, “because a lot of times, that’s the last piece of their normal life that they did have. So it's very hard for them to give that up.”

Autry said in this case, they were lucky; the storm drains along Colorado Avenue South go directly to a sewer treatment plant.

“There are some clean-ups we do… there's a direct connection from the issue that we're dealing with to a river or a lake or Puget Sound,” he said.

Autry said a special contractor had to come deal with the leaking battery. The liquid, he said, can melt through a person’s skin. Workers in HazMat suits dug up the dirt around the spill to remove the liquid and the soil it contaminated.

Crews also removed numerous propane tanks, often used for heating.

“They can potentially catch on fire or explode,” Beauregard said.

The RV clean-up pilot program costs the city $187,000 a year, which pays for seven clean-ups a month. Beauregard said they prioritize sites based on immediate health and safety risks. 
"People's biggest criticisms oftentimes is these RVs are just moving around, having the same issues," Linzi Sheldon said. "How do you address that?"

“Our number one priority is public health and safety,” Beauregard said, “and we're achieving our goals by coming out here and doing that portion.”

Still, he admits, the RVs do settle nearby in spots they will likely have to clean-up, too. KIRO 7 spotted one that had moved just a couple blocks away, in the city’s current RV safe lot that it is working to close down.

“That's a challenge,” Beauregard said. “That's something that we're trying to figure out and trying to get them into some more permanent housing or provide more permanent resources.”

It's a tough reality for Erin Goodman, the executive director of the SODO Business Improvement Area. 
She estimates that in four years, the number of RVs in the neighborhood has grown from 75 to 400.

“This pilot program has been running now for about nine months. Is it having a positive impact?” Linzi Sheldon asked.

“It is,” Goodman said. “It allows us to clean that area up for a little while but at the same point, I have to look at my businesses and say it will be back.”

Goodman wants the city to consider more clean-ups a month, crack down on crime like drug-dealing and prostitution operating out of RVs, and clean up smaller groups of RVs that still have big impacts on nearby businesses.

“When you look at RVs, it's very different from people sleeping in their cars,” she said. “These folks have a door and a lock and most of them consider themselves housed. So we need to take a different strategy.”

One of those folks is Joe Kelley, who's partially disabled but works when he can. He said he chooses to live in his RV.

“I can afford to get a place,” he said, “but I’m tired of slumlords and roommates you can’t trust. I leave the house and I come back and my room’s been ransacked. I’m tired of it.”

“What’s the solution?” Linzi Sheldon asked.

“The solution would be, have a spot where you should be able to park,” he said. “If I have to pay rent for a spot, I will pay, you know.”

He prides himself on keeping his motorcycle and his living area clean, unlike others, he said, who also live on the streets.

“They forget that this ain’t our property, you know? We try to stay here as long as we can, but people are going to complain. But if you keep it clean they'll put up with it, I think...more than trashing the place.”

More news from KIRO 7

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP