Pioneer Square encampment cleared; Ballard, other neighborhoods waiting

KING COUNTY, Wash. — Another fire at the Ballard Commons encampment that torched a tent has sparked more calls for the camp to be cleared and for the people living there to be helped.

The latest frustration comes as city leaders touted their accomplishments in getting another encampment cleared in Pioneer Square. The large majority of residents at Pergola Park have been placed into shelters.

It has people wondering when the same level of attention will come to neighborhoods like Ballard or Green Lake. As for Ballard Commons, the latest fire there erupted just after 10 p.m. Tuesday. No one was hurt, but it’s the third fire at the camp since late September.

“It’s dangerous. It’s very dangerous,” said Marilyn Suarez, who lives in the neighborhood. “When you live here and you see how it’s gone down, it’s sad,” Suarez said.

The success seen in Pioneer Square was made possible by a team of different organizations working under a program called “JustCARE,” said Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis during a press conference on Wednesday.

The team placed 31 of about 38 people living at Pergola Park into shelter or housing, and the park is now clear of tents.

“We are here today to celebrate exceptional work,” said Lewis, who serves District 7 in Seattle.

Teams with JustCARE say they have been out to the park every day for more than two months doing outreach.

“We develop relationships with every single person here,” said Nicole Alexander with the Public Defender Association. (The organization mentioned on Wednesday it was changing its name to Purpose Dignity Action).

Those behind the work say they’ve figured out a reliable solution for getting help to people, and keeping public spaces clear and vibrant — a goal that Mayor-elect Bruce Harrell campaigned on.

“Now we have some answers. This has been working. Let’s continue to build on this. Let’s continue to invest in this,” said Dominique Davis, cofounder and CEO of Wheeler Davis Safety Team. The team de-escalates situations at places where people are newly housed.

The Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) wants to see the work continue.

“We’ve made great progress here. We’ve got a long way to go. We’ve got 800 people or so still on the streets in the greater downtown,” said Jon Scholes, executive director of the DSA.

People who live and work near other camps, like Green Lake and Ballard, want to know when help is coming to their neighborhoods.

“Are you going to do something?” Suarez said. “A lot of areas have been broken into, it’s really sad,” she said.

But what’s next is unclear.

The JustCARE program being applauded is only funded through June 2022 to serve Pioneer Square, Downtown, and the Chinatown International District (CID).

“Our future may be in peril as far as the program goes with funding,” Alexander said.

Lewis says he will push the city council to keep the program going.

“I’m going to be working really hard to make that happen,” Lewis said. He said it’s possible the program could expand to other areas of the city.

“I hope it will. This program is consistent with a lot of the things Mayor-elect Harrell emphasized in his campaign,” Lewis said.

The city did not provide a date for when Ballard Commons might be cleared, but it has repeatedly said extensive outreach work has been happening at the park. As of last week, 21 people had been placed into shelter or housing from the Ballard Commons vicinity.

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