Mount Baker preschool says encampments unsafe
- Staff at a Mount Baker preschool say nearby encampments have returned, making them feel unsafe during drop-off. - Leaders reported incidents, increased litter and disruptions that are worrying parents and threatening enrollment. - Parents and the preschool are urging city cleanup and outreach as officials consider next steps (patch.com).
A Mount Baker preschool says unauthorized encampments have returned near the Mount Baker Transit Center, reviving safety fears for families during drop-off and pickup. (komonews.com) Gloria Hodge, who runs Hoa Mai Vietnamese Bilingual Preschool near 2900 Rainier Avenue South, told KOMO on April 21 that a recent stabbing in a nearby encampment and a man found bleeding at the transit station heightened concern among staff and parents. (komonews.com) Hodge said conditions improved last year after city action, but unauthorized camps have reappeared around the school and transit hub. She said delayed responses to Find It, Fix It reports have left the area feeling unmanaged. (komonews.com) The dispute centers on two different kinds of sites: unauthorized encampments, which Seattle says it inspects and may remove with 72-hour notice in some cases, and sanctioned encampments, which operate with permission and on-site rules. Seattle’s Human Services Department says outreach, storage and shelter offers are provided at 72-hour removals. (seattle.gov) That distinction matters in Mount Baker because Hoa Mai sits next to Tent City 3, a sanctioned encampment that provides bathrooms, a kitchen and on-site staffing, while Hodge says nearby unauthorized camps keep growing around it. KOMO reported the current Tent City 3 lease is set to expire next month. (komonews.com) SHARE/WHEEL, the group behind Tent City 3, lists the current site at 2720 South Hanford Street through May 26, 2026. The group says Tent City 3 began in 2000 and the camp rotates among host sites in the Seattle area. (sharewheel.org) This is not the preschool’s first public warning. In February 2024, Hodge wrote to City Hall that the school had faced “persistent harassment,” four burglaries, dumped refuse and threats near children, and KOMO reported two homicides near encampments in the area the previous fall. (komonews.com) Others in the area have argued for more outreach rather than repeated removals alone. In that 2024 report, outreach volunteer Timothy Emerson of We Heart Seattle said his group had connected people in one nearby camp to detox, housing services or family reunification. (komonews.com) The city is also trying to add more shelter capacity. Seattle City Council approved funding and authority this month for Mayor Katie Wilson’s plan to add 500 tiny-home shelter units before June, though questions remain about how quickly those units can open. (komonews.com) For Hoa Mai, the immediate question is simpler than the citywide policy debate: whether families can walk children into class without passing fresh camps, litter and emergency scenes outside the school gate. (komonews.com)
