Ballard Encampment Clearance Next Steps

Seattle cleared a homeless encampment in Ballard on May 13 near 9th Avenue Northwest and Northwest 48th Street, according to local media reports. The removal came months after Mayor Katie B. Wilson delayed a separate January Ballard sweep to give outreach workers more time to connect people to shelter and housing. City policy says outreach, shelter offers and storage are provided at 72-hour removals, and Seattle publishes site journals and belongings information on its Human Services cleanup page. ### Where was the latest Ballard clearance, and when did it happen? KOMO News reported that Seattle removed the encampment on Wednesday, May 13, in the area near 9th Avenue and 48th Street, north of Leary Way. The report said people at the site were given a day’s notice to move belongings from the street and from a tarp-covered structure built from plywood. (komonews.com) The Ballard location is distinct from the larger encampment near Northwest 41st Street and the Burke-Gilman Trail that drew citywide attention in January and February. That earlier site was cleared on February 12 after Wilson granted a month-long extension. ### What did the city say it was trying to do before clearing camps? Seattle’s Human Services Department says the city inspects unauthorized encampments and addresses them through litter picks, obstruction or hazard mitigation, or 72-hour removals under its Multi-Department Administrative Rule. (komonews.com) The department says outreach and offers of storage and shelter are provided at all 72-hour removals and, on request, at obstruction or hazard removals. (kiro7.com) Mayor Katie B. Wilson said on January 14 that she had visited the Ballard encampment that was then scheduled for removal and decided to extend the deadline. Wilson said she wanted more time to assess whether the city could improve outcomes “for the people living there, for their neighbors, and for local businesses.” Wilson wrote again on February 10 that the extension had helped one woman obtain a tiny-house-village placement and had helped five other people at that Ballard site secure housing or shelter. (seattle.gov) She also said the city had not found places for everyone and that “significant safety hazards” had been identified at the site. (wilson.seattle.gov) ### How many people were moved indoors, and how many stayed outside? KIRO 7 reported that six people received housing before the February 12 clearance of the large Ballard encampment near Northwest 41st Street. The station said at least 30 people had been staying there before the sweep and that many moved their tents about two blocks away afterward. (wilson.seattle.gov) Wilson’s February 10 post matches that count, saying city teams helped six people at the Ballard site move into housing or shelter during the delayed-clearance period. Her office did not say that everyone at the encampment accepted placement. ### Why are Ballard neighbors and advocates still arguing about the approach? (kiro7.com) Bruce Drager, identified by KOMO as chairman of the Ballard Community Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger, said the people removed from the 9th Avenue site had nowhere else to go. “When you move them around, relocate them from one site, you don’t solve the problem,” Drager told the station. (wilson.seattle.gov) Daniel Hammer, president of Sutter Hearth and Home, told KOMO that East Ballard has seen repeated encampments and that the city had recently stepped up efforts to keep the area clear. Dan Fiorito, who operates the industrial property where the encampment appeared, said businesses wanted more support for both the neighborhood and people living outside. (komonews.com) Jon Birdseye, a Ballard resident interviewed by KIRO 7 after the February sweep, said people living outside often move among a handful of nearby locations. Jordan, a man who had lived at that encampment, told the station the process was “a musical chairs thing.” ### Where can residents check what happens after a removal? Seattle’s Human Services Department maintains an online encampment cleanup page that says it posts dates, locations, site journals and details on personal-belongings collection and storage for specific actions. (komonews.com) That page lists completed site journals by quarter, including 2026 entries. (kiro7.com) Seattle Public Utilities says its unsheltered-services work is carried out with the Unified Care Team, the interdepartmental group that manages public-space response. Wilson said on February 10 that the team prioritizes outreach and clearance work based on safety risks, access to public space, sanitation issues and illegal activity. March 24 is the date on the city’s latest publicly indexed Unified Care Team quarterly report to the Seattle City Council, which outlines performance reporting on encampment response. (seattle.gov) Residents can also monitor the Human Services encampment page for site-specific journals and storage information tied to Ballard removals. (clerk.seattle.gov) (seattle.gov)